Satsuma vase, Japan, Meiji period, 1867-1911

Satsuma vase
Japan
Meiji period, 1867-1911
Ivory stoneware vase for four flowers
Blue and red gold set painting
Peonies, plum blossoms and chrysanthemums
Ornaments with chrysanthemums
Height 15,5 cm
At the bottom wheel cross - Mon (family crest) of the Shimazu clan that ruled over Satsuma; "Satsuma-yaki, Masanobi, Utsushi [im Kreis]"

The term utsushi here refers to a copy in the sense of an imitation, which, according to Japanese tradition, can denote either the work of a student modeled after his own master or a famous predecessor, or, especially in the tea ceremony, a piece that captures the "spirit" of a cherished work as a reinterpretation without having to reproduce it exactly.
The special value placed on the respective vessels for flowers in Japan, both in the art of flower arranging and in the tea ceremony, has led to a multitude of original and sometimes highly specialized vase forms that are unparalleled anywhere in the world.