Vase à fleur (ichirin-ike)

Manufacture Banko (ko-Banko)

While the seal is more similar to those used by the Isawa Banko factory, in the 19th century, than to those generally recorded as belonging to the older manufactory, this vase is comparable to 18th-century wares: the slightly convex bottom, the moulded motifs in relief (the eight bagua trigrams from the Yijing [I Ching] book of divination), the translucent glaze, and the traces of wear and repairs to the gold-flake lacquer (nashiji) are so many elements suggesting that it is an earlier work, like another vessel that is quite similar in appearance (Yokkaichi, 1998, no. 1024, p. 26 and Yokkaichi, 2004, no. 14, p. 16). Other pieces featuring a moulded trigram decoration in relief also date from the late 18th century, notably an incense burner with copper celadon glaze, imitating the Chinese celadon incense burners called chidori kōro (Yokkaichi, 1998, no. 1035, p. 33).