An Inban Ware Tokkuri: Sake Flask

late nineteenth century
6 3/4" x 2 1/8", 17.25 cm x 5.25 cm

Inban ware is a type of every day ceramic that uses hand cut stencils to guide its design on to its surface: the stencils used for this purpose are very similar to those used in the katazome dyeing process, which makes Inban ware an interesting counterpart to folk textiles.

Inban ware was only produced for a narrow window of time, roughly from around 1878 to 1898.

Shown here is an elegantly formed tokkuri or sake flask which is decorated with a delicate, pointillist rendering of flying cranes amid a field clouds--an image that conveys auspicious thoughts of longevity, beauty and conjugal fidelity as cranes are said to mate for life.

The condition of this 19th century sake flask is in good, used condition with a chip to the rim, seen on the accompanying detail photos.

Super lovely.