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Freshwater Jar (Mizusashi) with Insect Procession

1870–80s
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 227
Kōzan was among the foremost ceramic artists of the Meiji period. Trained in Kyoto, he established a workshop in Yokohama in 1870, where he produced ceramics for both domestic and international markets.Blending traditional Japanese techniques and motifs with innovative forms and Western influences, Kōzan continuously adapted his work to changing tastes. He received numerous awards at exhibitions in Japan and abroad and was renowned for his technical mastery and artistic innovation. This freshwater jar features a whimsical composition with a procession of grasshoppers carrying flowers. The creatures, trailed by a few wasps, accompany an insect cage that echoes the palanquin of a feudal lord in a procession. Inspired by paintings of the same subject (such as the one on view nearby), the depiction of this theme on a ceramic vessel was an innovative adaptation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 初代眞葛香山作　虫之大名行列図文水指
  • Title: Freshwater Jar (Mizusashi) with Insect Procession
  • Artist: Makuzu Kōzan I (Miyagawa Toranosuke) (Japanese, 1842–1916)
  • Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
  • Date: 1870–80s
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Stoneware with polychrome enamels and gold over transparent glaze; wood lid, ivory knob (Makuzu ware)
  • Dimensions: H. 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm); Diam. 6 3/16 in. (15.7 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics
  • Credit Line: Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
  • Object Number: 91.1.367a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Vase with Horse and Kirin on Geometric Sayagata (key fret) Pattern (one of a pair), Makuzu Kōzan I (Miyagawa Toranosuke) Japanese, Porcelain with incised design and underglaze red, Japan
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