| Form |
Kabin (花瓶) — pot-form Japanese flower vase, wide mouth, no handle |
| Size |
Height 20.0 cm (7.9″) · mouth Ø 8.0 cm (3.1″) · foot Ø 9.0 cm (3.5″) |
| Weight |
1,026 g (2.26 lb) vase · 1,564 g (3.45 lb) with tomobako |
| Material |
Porcelain (磁器 jiki), Arita-yaki lineage |
| Exterior glaze |
瑠璃釉 (ruri-yū) deep cobalt-blue ground |
| Decoration |
染付 (sometsuke) lily & butterfly in white with soft blue shading; 金彩 (kinsai) gold linework + continuous gold rim line |
| Interior glaze |
官窯 (kanyō) white glaze |
| Foot mark |
Stylized Mt. Fuji silhouette above 深川製 in underglaze cobalt |
| Series |
官窯染付 (Kanyō Sometsuke) — Fukagawa's imperial-kiln cobalt-and-white line |
| Maker |
深川製磁 Fukagawa Seiji, Arita (est. 1894) — 宮内庁御用達 Imperial Household purveyor since 1910 |
| Era |
Late Shōwa–Heisei, estimated 1980s–2000s (documented vintage) |
| Condition |
Excellent — no chips, no hairlines, gold linework intact; unrestored |
| Tomobako |
Original paulownia kiribako (22 × 19 × 18.5 cm), signed & stamped |
| Included |
Vase + original tomobako + Fukagawa leaflet 「官窯染付の魅力」 |
Vintage Fukagawa Seiji ruri cobalt kabin — lily & butterfly
A vintage flower vase (花瓶 / kabin) by 深川製磁 Fukagawa Seiji — the Arita porcelain house recognized as a purveyor to the Japanese Imperial Household since 1910 — finished in the workshop's signature ruri (瑠璃) deep cobalt-blue glaze. Across one face, soft-gradient sometsuke (染付) paints two open lily blossoms in white with delicate blue shading, joined by a single white butterfly in flight. Fine kinsai (金彩) gold outlines the stems, leaf veins, and stamen, and a continuous gold line frames the mouth. The interior is finished in the workshop's white kanyō (官窯) glaze.
Maker & provenance
• Made by Fukagawa Seiji / Arita-yaki in Saga Prefecture, Japan, curated by ZenKiln — a documented vintage piece acquired from a Japan-based sourcing studio.
The attribution rests on a full five-point closure standard:
- Underglaze foot mark — stylized Mt. Fuji above 深川製, in cobalt
- Tomobako lid calligraphy — 「花瓶」 (kabin)
- Tomobako side calligraphy — 「宮内庁御用達 深川製」 (Imperial Household Purveyor · Fukagawa-sei)
- Tomobako corner red cartouche — 「美術有田焼」 (Bijutsu Arita-yaki / Art Arita-ware)
- Original printed leaflet 「官窯染付の魅力」 with the red seal 「宮内庁御用達 深川製磁 認定」
Maker attribution is definitive (foot mark + signed tomobako + certified leaflet). Dating is estimated — late Shōwa to Heisei, roughly the 1980s–2000s — inferred from the leaflet typography, the tomobako style, and the foot-mark format. The Meiji 27 (1894) date in Fukagawa literature is the workshop's founding year, not this vase's production year. Fukagawa Seiji remains an operating Arita porcelain house today.
About the 官窯染付 (Kanyō Sometsuke) series
This vase belongs to Fukagawa Seiji's Kanyō Sometsuke (Imperial-Kiln Sometsuke) line — the workshop's contemporary reading of the Chinese imperial-kiln cobalt-and-white aesthetic. The included leaflet, The Allure of Kanyō Sometsuke, describes the intent: a bright, clear sometsuke rather than a muted one, achieved by selecting superior clay and pushing the firing to the moment the white porcelain body begins to soften. Fukagawa first earned international standing with the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, and has held Imperial Household purveyor status since 1910.
Condition
Excellent. The ruri glaze surface is clean and glossy, with no chips and no hairlines in the photographed angles; the gold linework and gold rim are intact and unworn. Unrestored and unrefinished. Light age-consistent wear may appear on the unglazed foot ring, and the paulownia tomobako shows the gentle toning typical of age. Additional close-up photos of the mark, foot, or any detail are available on request before purchase.
Display & use
A presentation-grade kabin sized for a tokonoma (alcove), a sideboard, or a quiet hallway focal point. It suits single-stem ikebana — a lily or branch reads beautifully against the ruri ground — as well as cherry, plum, or autumn-leaf arrangements, or display as a closed object. The 8 cm mouth accommodates most ikebana kenzan pin-frogs; line the interior with a glass tumbler when using water flowers.
Care
Hand-wash only with lukewarm water and a soft cloth. Avoid abrasive sponges, dishwashers, microwaves, and prolonged direct sunlight. The kinsai gold linework is sensitive to abrasion.
Included
- 1 × Fukagawa Seiji Kanyō Sometsuke floral kabin
- 1 × original signed paulownia tomobako
- 1 × printed Fukagawa leaflet 「官窯染付の魅力」
- Hand-packed in archival tissue inside a double-walled carton from Japan
About ZenKiln — A Japan-based curator connecting international collectors with Japan's artisan ceramic tradition. We work closely with the kilns, workshops, and makers featured in our shop — each one disclosed in our About section — and hand-pack every piece in Japan for safe delivery worldwide.
📦 Ships from Japan, hand-packed for safe delivery.
