Past Exhibitions | Exhibitions |The Museum of Oriental Ceramics,Osaka

Special Exhibition;“MIYAGAWA KOZAN Retrospective”

Friday, April 29, 2016～Sunday, July 31, 2016

From around the second half of the nineteenth century, just before Japan was about to face the age of political upheaval – the final years of the feudal Tokugawa shogunate followed by the Meiji Restoration (restoration of the imperial rule) – Europe was entering the golden age of international expositions in which many countries displayed their local products by staking their national prestige. The Japanese government first exhibited artworks such as ukiyo-e at the World Exposition in Paris in 1867 and continued to make entries to the succeeding series of expositions. Such artworks became a source of inspiration for many European artists and caused the development of Japonism in the Western culture. In the meantime, introduction of Western technology marked a start of a new era in the Japanese ceramic industry.
Miyagawa Kozan I (1842-1916) was a potter who lived in such tumultuous years. In 1870 he moved to Yokohama and opened his workshop to produce ceramics for export. His works, known as Makuzu ware, inherits the traditional Kyo-yaki style while the application of strikingly elaborate, sculptural decoration called taka-ukibori(sculptural relief) is Kozan’s original technique. They were exhibited in the Philadelphia World Exhibition in 1876 and the name “Makuzu ware” won high reputation. Kozan’s progress was unstoppable, though, and his unremitting efforts on the study of glazes and Chinese ancient ceramics led to further success. His wide-ranging styles inspired renowned European wares, including Royal Copenhagen, which also exhibited their works in the contemporary world expositions. Likewise, some of Kozan’s works reflect Western influence.
This exhibition introduces the overall picture of Kozan, who was the driving force of modern Japanese pottery. Featuring the Tanabe Collection, it represents his life work, from his early masterpieces with taka-ukibori decoration to the later works made as a result of his studies on Chinese ancient ceramics and glazes.

※Number of items on display ; approximately 150 works
※Part of the displays will be changed during the exhibition period.

Information

Title
Special Exhibition;　“MIYAGAWA KOZAN Retrospective”
Dates
Friday, April 29, 2016～Sunday, July 31, 2016
Closed days
Mondays (open on May 2 and July 18), July 19
Venue
The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka
Opening hours
from 9:30am to 5:00pm (last admission: 4:30pm)
Organized by
The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, NHK Osaka Station, NHK PlaNet, Inc. Kinki Branch Office, The Asahi Shimbun Company
Cosponsored by
Nissha Printing Co., Ltd.
Cooperation by
Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History
Admission
Adults 1,200 (1,000) yen, University & high school students 700 (600) yen

a.Prices in parenthesis are group discount rates for a party of 20 or more.
b.The following visitors are free of charge:
①Holders of special IDs such as Shogaisha techo (Identification Booklet for the
Physically Disabled), including one attendant
②Residents of Osaka City aged 65 or older (please show ID)
③Junior high school students and under
Production with the cooperation of
NHK Promotions Inc.
Also showing
Permanent Exhibition:
Chinese Ceramics of the Ataka Collection
Korean Ceramics of the Ataka Collection and Rhee Byung-Chang Collection
Chinese Snuff Bottles of the Oki Shoichiro Collection
Inquiries
The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka
Phone: 06-6223-0055
Fax : 06-6223-0057

Examples of Objects on Display

Important Cultural Property; FLOWER VASE, pottery with brown glaze and crabs in taka-ukibori

1881
Height 36.5cm, mouth diameter 39.8×19.5cm, base diameter 16.5×16.3cm
Tokyo National Museum, TNM Image Archives

The mouth of the vase is opened into a square shape, which is adorned with two crabs in a realistic manner, one lying upon the other. The robust expressions of the foot and warped body as well as the double-coated glaze make this piece an outstanding work, considerably surpassing the standard of craftsmanship at that time. It is a leading example of Kozan’s early work.
Important Cultural Property; FLOWER VASE, porcelain with plum tree design in iron brown paint on a yellow-glaze ground

1893
Height 52.1cm, mouth diameter 14.5cm, body diameter 25.8cm
Tokyo National Museum, TNM Image Archives

The vase has a form called yuhuchun, known for the elegant S-shape curve from the mouth rim toward the bottom. The body and neck are painted with plum branches having many buds, skillfully using different tones of iron brown. The white plum blossoms are reserved against the yellow ground. The piece can even deliver the sweet fragrance of the blossoms. It is the only extant work which can be confirmed that it was exhibited in the World’s Columbian Exposition in1893.
WATER JAR WITH COVER, pottery with peony design and an awakening cat in taka-ukibori

First half of Meiji period, second half of the 19th century
Height 29.7cm, mouth diameter 16.3cm, base diameter 14.6cm
The TANABE Tetsundo Collection (deposited at Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History)

This is another leading example of Kozan’s taka-ukibori (sculptural relief) work, together with the flower vase with a crab decoration mentioned above. The work is known to be associated with the “Sleeping Cat”, a wood carving designated a National Treasure, placed in one of the buildings of the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko. Similar to the “Sleeping Cat”, this cat also accompanies peony flowers, in this case on the body of the water jar in taka-ukibori. While being highly decorative, the gilt band decoration on the lid as well as the mouth rim and bottom of the body adds serenity and grace to the piece.

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Special Exhibition;“MIYAGAWA KOZAN Retrospective”

Information

Examples of Objects on Display

Important Cultural Property; FLOWER VASE, pottery with brown glaze and crabs in taka-ukibori

Important Cultural Property; FLOWER VASE, porcelain with plum tree design in iron brown paint on a yellow-glaze ground

WATER JAR WITH COVER, pottery with peony design and an awakening cat in taka-ukibori