Antique Japanese Meiji Era Sumida Gawa Vase Climbing Figures Red Flambe Ishiguro Koko 8.5" LS#088

Sumida Gawa export vase by Ishiguro Koko with applied climbing figures in blue-patterned kimono, vivid red lava ground with dramatic tenmoku and celadon flambe drip over a lobed mouth

Japan, Meiji Period, late 19th–early 20th century

A tall cylindrical Sumida Gawa vase bearing the mark of Ishiguro Koko (石黒香香), one of the named potters working in the Asakusa tradition alongside the Ryosai family. The form is distinctive — tapering cylinder rising to a dramatically lobed trefoil mouth, the interior glazed in tenmoku and celadon with rich brown pooling. The shoulder carries an extravagant multi-tone flambe in black, grey, celadon, and brown dripping freely down the red ground. Two applied figures in blue-patterned white kimono climb the body in animated relief — one grasping upward, one scrambling below, their expressions and postures conveying the playful whimsy characteristic of Koko's work. A blue-and-white oval signature plaque is applied to the lower body. The red lava-textured ground shows the coiled ribbing typical of quality Sumida production.

Dimensions: 4"W × 8.5"H (10 × 22 cm) Weight:

Sumida Gawa pottery, known in Japan as Sumida Yaki (隅田焼), takes its name from the Sumida River in Tokyo's Asakusa district, where the workshops were first established. The style of applied figures on flowing-glaze grounds was invented about 1890 by Seto potter Ryosai I. Made exclusively for Western export, the ware's bold relief figures and vivid glaze contrasts proved immediately appealing to foreign collectors during the Meiji period. The original Asakusa kiln district was destroyed in the fires following the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923; Ryosai III relocated to Yokohama in 1924, where production continued briefly before ceasing. Peak Meiji period examples are the most collected today.

Condition: Good; wear to red glaze consistent with age. No breaks or chips. Figures intact.

A signed Koko piece with an unusually dramatic mouth form and lively climbing figures — among the more characterful Sumida vases in the genre.   

LS#087