Antique Japanese Imari Sometsuke Blue White Porcelain Bowl Kiku Hanazume Late Edo 19th 8"W

Japanese Imari blue and white porcelain bowl, allover kiku hanazume interior with karakusa rim band, landscape exterior, late Edo period

Japan, Arita; late Edo period, c. 1840s–1860s

A striking Imari sometsuke (伊万里染付) bowl decorated in the kiku hanazume (花詰) manner, the entire interior surface packed with large chrysanthemum heads rendered in fine, densely ruled radiating petal lines on a deep cobalt ground — a treatment that reverses the usual figure-ground relationship, building the design from white reserve against blue rather than blue motif on white. Small diamond-shaped eye motifs fill the interstices between the kiku heads, adding rhythmic punctuation to the packed composition. The broad flanged rim carries a continuous karakusa or peony scroll band in the same deep cobalt. The exterior is painted with a landscape scene incorporating architecture, flowering garden shrubs, and foliage, in a more open and freely brushed manner that contrasts with the dense interior decoration. The ring foot is unglazed with light age-appropriate discoloration. A faint mark is present on the glazed base — indistinct at this resolution.

The kiku hanazume convention — packing the entire ground with chrysanthemum heads — appears with particular frequency in late Edo Arita production, where it was used for both domestic and export wares. The kiku (菊, chrysanthemum) carries longstanding associations with longevity and the imperial house in Japanese visual culture, and the hanazume treatment, with its allover density and visual richness, was well suited to the large serving and display bowls produced in quantity by the Arita kilns in the decades before and after the Meiji Restoration.

• Ware: Imari sometsuke (伊万里染付) blue and white porcelain
• Form: Footed bowl with flanged rim
• Decoration: Kiku hanazume allover chrysanthemum interior; karakusa scroll rim band; landscape with architecture exterior
• Period: Late Edo, c. 1840s–1860s
• Dimensions: 8"W × 2.5"H (20.3 cm × 6.4 cm)
• Condition: No cracks, chips, or repairs visible. Light age-appropriate discoloration at foot. Please see photos for details.