Fine Japanese Satsuma Vase by Ryozan Okamoto for Yasuda Company Meiji Period

A finely decorated Japanese satsuma ceramic vase by Ryozan Okamoto (c.1820s-1910s) for Yasuda. Ryozan is the head artist working for Yasuda company, a Japanese ceramic makers and dealers established in Kyoto in 1896 by brothers, Gensei and Yoshizaburo Yasida. Born Nakamura Tatsunosuke, Ryozan was a student of the famous potter Nishimura Zengoro who died in 1851, when Tatsunosuke adopted the name “Okatomo Ryozan”. He went on to lead the Yasuda company and became one of the greatest artists in satsuma ware.
The vase is dated 1900s and it is one of the finest satsuma pieces we have handled. The quality is considered to be at the pinnacle of Ryozan's artistry.
The vase was decorated in two large panels of different themes, separated by wide bands in red with gilt scrolls and smaller overlapping rectangular vignettes. One panel depicts an Idyllic Sakura viewing scene set in a beautifully landscaped park with a lake and half-hidden thatch-roofed tea house. Groups of visitors including a large family with children, all dressed in fine kimonos, were leisurely enjoying the cherry blossoms, a snapshot of a fine spring day. On the opposite side, the panel showcases an elaborated painting with a pair of pheasant birds (a male and a female) perched by the water. A large bundle of blooming bushes provided a splendid backdrop, consisting of a variety of flowering chrysanthemum and tall autumn grasses with seeds, swaying in the wind. The workmanship on these panels is superb showcasing the mastery in composition, colors, shading, dimension, motion and the painstaking details to the finest touch.
The shoulder of the vase was partitioned into eight radiating fan-shapes, each is densely decorated with smaller panels of various shape and further infills of either geometrical or floral motifs. The base is marked with insignia of Yasuda Company, the Shimazu Cross below and the artist's name on the right side. The overall glaze shows a fine crackle throughout.
For a vase by Ryozan for Yasuda of different form but similar decorative motifs, see illustration 146 on page 208-209 in "Satsuma: The Romance of Japan" by Louis Lawrence.