Database / I I I I
Design Resources: Digital Archive
Holdings Classification (Registered Name)
Underglaze Blue Urinal with Floral and Butterfly Motifs
Underglaze Blue Urinal with Floral and Butterfly Motifs
- Holding Institution
Collection: INAX Live Museum (on deposit)
- Category
-
- #Product
- Year of Production (First Edition)
19世紀後期
- Designer
Kato Monzaemon VI
- Distributor
Monzaemon Kiln, known as “Ikemon”
- Dimensions
-
径322×H643mm
- Materials and Techniques
Porcelain. The flower centers, withering leaf tips, and root areas are rendered in yellow and brown underglaze pigments. The leaf veins are highlighted using sumihajiki (ink-resist technique), creating strong white accents.
- Design Registration Number
Unknown
- Portrait and Publicity Rights Holder
Not registered
- Copyright Registration Number
Not applicable
- Related Links
- Inquiries
INAX Live Museum
Underglaze blue ceramic urinal decorated in an Art Nouveau–inspired style
Description
The Monzaemon Kiln, also known as “Ikemon,” was a leading Seto (Aichi Prefecture) kiln producing underglaze blue porcelain and had earned high acclaim both in Japan and abroad since the Edo period. In particular, Kato Monzaemon VI specialized in finely detailed and elegant bird-and-flower motifs, producing porcelain vases and tableware that were widely exported. His works were exhibited and awarded at international and domestic expositions, including the Paris World’s Fair and Japan’s National Industrial Exhibitions. He was also active in research and development, creating large-scale porcelain pieces that were technically challenging, and expanding production from tableware to decorative objects.
This porcelain urinal, bearing the underglaze inscription “Kanjoen Ikemon-sei” on its side, began production around 1897. It was created with the same high level of craftsmanship and design applied to vases and tableware. Incorporating Art Nouveau–inspired decorative painting, it reflects the cutting-edge aesthetics of its time and demonstrates how advanced ceramic design was extended even to sanitary ware.
photo by. Kajihara Toshihide