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The second spoil of my antique market stroll – who would have thought this kind of pot could be found on what was essentially a flea market! The vendor was equally surprised that I knew what it was

Complete with yellow tumeric cloth(has a small square, unreadable stamp on it), wooden box and small Yamada family credential leaflet (in Japanese).
Seal on kyusu reads Yamada kiln, which means it could be done by him, or made in the kiln. People I have consulted who do own a few pieces of Jozan III, do think the workmanship looks like his(especially visible in the spout design), but I can not be sure of it. It seems he started signing more once he got famous, so it might be an earlier piece, before he took on the name of Jozan III. Maybe the finger prints on the pot could be matched... There a few. One close to the seal, which I think is one of their trade marks as well, isn't it? (I am still checking the other inscriptions on the box, will update, once I got confirmation)

According to my sources the ribbon style also seems consistent with the Yamada Jozan III period.

It is beautiful, but I do not have a real use for it, just couldn’t let the opportunity pass… If it were half the volume, I would not let it go.

The clay is beautiful, quite different to later ones it seems to me. It even mentions "Pear skin Zhuni/Shudei" on the wooden box, so obviously it has been of importance to them.

Not really much else to say about this piece, it speaks for itself. You can find the usual, aforementioned finger print traces of the artisan, as well as the trade mark Yamada rough finishing style. What surprised me the most, is how nice it feels to the touch, silky, almost wet on the outside.

Condition: Perfect
Volume: 200ml
Price: 530$ +shipping
Paypal please

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I do not think Jozan III would use this stamp for his own pieces. Good to see this Yamada kiln kyusu comes with a box. Can you share calligraphy on the box without ribbon covering it? Jozan III had many young potters working with him over the years like; Fugetsu, Emu, Hiroshi Mizuno, Yamashichi, Komei Shibata, Mamoru Ikai. The kyusu form and clay reminds me of Sou’s work, except for the bulbous lid knob and sack at base of spout. It has a very nice form and proportion.

Victoria wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 23, 2019 11:39 pm

Can you share calligraphy on the box without ribbon covering it?

Will take another shot when I get home. I smartly managed to take a good shot covering the essentials with ribbon and kyusu

Bok wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 23, 2019 11:45 pm

Victoria wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 23, 2019 11:39 pm

Can you share calligraphy on the box without ribbon covering it?

Will take another shot when I get home. I smartly managed to take a good shot covering the essentials with ribbon and kyusu

Also, any paper inside box is useful.

@Victoria it got a rice paper with the family lineage and some news papers for safety, I’ll snap images of it later.

The first and second pictures of the box appear to say “Yamada”. If you are familiar with his signature you can see the just enough of the signature to make it out. @Bok, it is not uncommon for there to be further inscriptions & seals on the inside lid.

It is not a pot by Sou. The clay is different and while the spout is similar it is different enough and consistent with 3 of the Minoru Yamada pieces I own. The Jozan III era teapot I own is fanciful and signed. Also, Sou has used a similar seal but put “Sou” next to it to indicate that it was not his grandfather’s. It reads “Jozan Kiln Sou”. This suggests that “Jozan Kiln” was reserved for Minoru Yamada.

Additionally, there are sake cups attributed to Jozan III (probably still Minoru Yamada at the time) by people who know far more than I do that are merely marked “Jozan Kiln”.

@Bok, your description of the shudei is spot on, his shudei has a unique feel. It’s satiny to me. It is not chalky like Sou’s.

Taken together, I feel there is a good chance this is a legitimate Minoru Yamada teapot (pre-Jozan III). The persimmon shape of the body is alluring

@Baisao to clarify -I said it reminds me of Sou, not that it is Sou. Also, I had until recently a Jozan III kiln pot that took some searching and asking around to finally realize Jozan III kiln pots are available and identifiable with the chop this kyusu has. Cups often have just the kiln chops.

So here is a shot of the box cover in its full glory. What I can decipher is Yamada Jozan on the left, the chop next to it is difficult to mark, aged wood darkened, chop brightening, altogether they blend together...

Tea-something in large on the right, and Pear skin Shudei(Zhuni) on the far right.

Text seems just a general Yamada credential text.

Victoria wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:53 am

Baisao to clarify -I said it reminds me of Sou, not that it is Sou.

I had the same reaction when I first saw it.

Victoria wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:53 am

Also, I had until recently a Jozan III kiln pot that took some searching and asking around to finally realize Jozan III kiln pots are available and identifiable with the chop this kyusu has. Cups often have just the kiln chops.

Does Asako Isobe say that this chop by itself means it is the work of the people he mentored?

I know his wife sometimes did the calligraphy on his kiribako but this looks to be in his handwriting (except that the 山 looks different).

Here are some examples of Minoru Yamada's 山 to compare to the 山 on the box






Thoughts?

To be clearer, this is the character that has me concerned about who wrote on the kiribako:

Note the down-stroke on the right is different from confirmed examples. This doesn't prove/disprove anything in my opinion, but it makes me want to see more of the calligraphy done by his wife.