Antique Japanese Meiji c1890's Stencil Kashizara Sweets Plate Blue White 4.25"W

Japanese Meiji Stencil (Inban) Kashizara: Blue and White Sweets Plate with Phoenix Medallion

Japan, Meiji period (circa 1890's)

This is a Japanese kashizara (sweets plate) in underglaze blue, decorated using the stencil (katagami) technique common to Meiji-period inban ware: dense, uniform patterning applied through a paper stencil rather than painted freehand. A phoenix amid clouds and waves fills the central medallion, framed by a seigaiha wave border and a wide band of floral roundels and chrysanthemum scroll around the rim.

Stencil-printed blue and white, sometimes called Meiji stencil ware, let potteries reproduce intricate all-over patterns quickly and consistently for the growing domestic market in small tableware. Kashizara of this kind were made and used in sets for serving sweets alongside tea, and the fine, repeating dot-and-line texture visible under magnification is the hallmark of the stencil method rather than hand painting or transfer printing.

Form: Japanese kashizara (sweets plate), blue and white porcelain
Construction or Decoration: Underglaze cobalt blue, stencil (katagami) applied pattern; phoenix medallion, seigaiha wave border, floral roundel and chrysanthemum scroll rim
Mark:
Period: Meiji period, circa late 19th to early 20th century
Dimensions: 4.25″ diameter × 0.75″H (11 × 2 cm)
Weight:
Condition: Glaze and pattern intact, no chips or cracks apparent; light glaze pooling/imperfections at the rim consistent with period manufacture.