Satsuma-database

The Joy of Beauty 

                                            

About this website

Once you have discovered the beauty of Satsuma pottery, you will cherish it all your life. Satsuma earthenware can be enchantingly beautiful, impressive in form and precise execution of the decoration and at its best they are true masterpieces. Satsuma pottery is also available, the range is large, the prices are very acceptable compared to other works of art and antiques, which means that a good collection can be built up quickly. So far the good news. The bad news is that although the supply is large, the quality thereof is 99 percent mediocre to poor. That is also the challenge for the collector of Satsuma earthenware: finding a Satsuma gem among countless misproducts, recognizing the beauty and quality that is contained in a miniature vase of only 8 cm tall, and then being able to get it for a few hundred euros, is extremely satisfying. The big question is: how do you recognize the quality of such an object? What are the criteria you should pay attention to? How do you really recognize counterfeiting, good quality from mediocre or worse. This website attempts to be an aid in the identification of Satsuma earthenware that is collectible. The interpretation of the term "collectible" is up to the collector him/herself, everyone uses his own criteria. This website uses the criteria of this author. It has no further pretentions and aims no more than sharing knowledge and experiences gained during this search for good-quality Satsuma pottery. It is clear that the acquisition of this knowledge involves an ongoing process. That this search also includes wrongly taken paths, mistakes and errors I take for granted, that is inherent to a search.

 

This website arose from a collector's need to have the many information on Satsuma pottery conveniently together. In particular, an overview of the many brands and their makers of Satsuma pottery was missing, or at least insufficient. This personal need led to a website, based on the idea that the same need could also be there for others, be they collectors, (private) sellers or people who just want to know more about the vase they inherited from their grandmother.

 

In terms of content, no very strict, scientific distinction is made by us between genuine (Kagoshima) Satsuma and Satsuma-style products. As a sole and general guideline, only that the focus of this website is on Japanese Satsuma and Satsuma-style products, which were mostly made in the Meiji-Taisho and were almost by definition destined for export to the US and Europe. For most visitors to this website, that is enough, since for many of them it is mainly a way of being able to trace the mark on their own vase or plate to a name.

 

Satsuma database has no commercial activities or purposes and, to be as accessible as possible, is free to use by anyone interested, with no compulsory or voluntary donations, subscriptions, hidden advertisements or a "for sale" section.

We do not sell or buy Satsuma pottery (at least not through this website), nor do we have a function as an appraiser. And although we respond to occasional requests to assign a value to a particular piece, this is done solely on the basis of our experience as collectors. For special pieces, we always refer to a licensed appraiser or a major auction house. The website itself does not state the value of Satsuma pottery other than in a general sense.

 

We do not claim to have created the ultimate Satsuma database, but merely a website that can serve as a resource for (fellow) collectors and other interested parties. Of course, we verify information before putting it on the Satsuma database and try to confirm it as much as possible by using multiple sources and authors. And we certainly distinguish between the findings of serious authors and ebay sales pitches. However, the website is also a "work in progress", which means it is far from complete or error-free. There are thousands of brands in the database and a mistake is easily made. Satsuma database is open to criticism and is happy to correct errors. If website visitors point out missing or incorrect information to us, these will be added or corrected in a subsequent update. We certainly appreciate your contribution.

The Satsuma Database and what's in it

The Satsuma database website consists of several pages and data files that can help you to identify Satsuma pieces, recognize style elements and get an idea of the historical backgrounds within which they were made.  Roughly speaking, they are grouped into the following sections:

    Introductory Remarks on Satsuma Pottery.

    In the Introductory Remarks page, we provide some point-by-point observations for a better understanding of Satsuma wares as we encounter them in the West. All are export goods, at least most of them, but ranging in quality from mass-produced and shoddily decorated home decorations for everyone, to masterpieces of unprecedented artistry and craftsmanship for the Happy Few. Finally, we also provide a step-by-step description of the production process of Satsuma pottery.

    Collecting and Buying Satsuma Pottery

    In this section you will find some pages with background information and tips that may be useful to you as a (beginning) collector.

    • The page Collecting and buying Satsuma  gives you background information on quality, value and collectability of Satsuma objects. What to look for, Where to buy it and What is the value are some of the questions addressed.

    • The When Were Satsuma Wares Produced? page discusses some general background data based on which a better estimate can be made about the age of Satsuma and Satsuma style wares. 

    •  The How Old Is It? Clues on Dating Satsuma Wares. page contains some notes and tips for determining the age of a Satsuma object and distinguishing authentic Kagoshima Satsuma from Satsuma-style objects.

    Historical context of Satsuma Pottery

    The historical context of Satsuma pottery cannot be seen separately from the history of Japan itself. In this section you will find:

    • The page Satsuma: A brief history provides information about this history and how it is interwoven with the opening up of Japan after centuries of isolation, leading to an explosive demand for Japanese products as Satsuma pottery from abroad and the need to produce in a way completely different as in the centuries before.
    • In the Illustrated Glossary PDF file we provide a list of terms and concepts related to ceramic terminology or the historical context of Japan and Satsuma pottery. You can search using the English term or the Japanese term written in Latin script or with kanji.  Each term is provided with some illustrative images. We hope you will find it useful.

    Makers of Satsuma Pottery and their Marks

    •  The (PDF) file Marks & Makers provides (at present) about 2,000 marks and signatures of 500 makers of Satsumaware.
    • The Makers: examples (PDF) file provides one or more examples of the work these makers made or decorated.
    • The Japanese names on ceramics Excel file comes from fellow collector Martin Michel's extensive mark collection and contains a comprehensive list of more than 2,000 makers of Japanese ceramics, including many but not exclusively Satsuma makers working in the Meiji and Taisho periods.

    Masters of Satsuma Pottery from the Edo/Meiji era to the present.

    In this section we present some of the most notable and well-known masters from the Edo, Meiji and Taisho period as well as some Satsuma masters from the present.

    • Biographical details and examples of the high quality Satsuma pottery made by masters such as Kinkozan, Yabu Meizan and Seikozan can be found on the page here: Masters from Edo, Meiji and Taisho Period.  
    • The art of making Satsuma wares of the highest quality did not disappear after the Taisho period. In Modern Satsuma Masters  we feature some of these masters who are keeping the old tradition alive and creating new forms and designs with the same sophistication and craftsmanship as their famous predecessors.

    Styles, motifs and designs of Satsuma Pottery.

    In this part, we present aspects related to the visual appearance of Satsuma pottery in a number of PDF files and pages.

    • In the PDF file Styles of Satsuma, we try to classify the many Satsuma types according to how they are stylistically designed and the technique used, from art deco to cheap export pottery, and from monochromes to special glazes such as jakatsu and sharkskin.  It gives an idea of the great diversity of Satsuma and how they fit in as interpretations of earlier Japanese styles or emerged as imitations of Western styles or Western-inspired innovations.
    • In the PDF file Key Motifs on Satsuma we provide a thematic overview of what can actually be seen on Satsuma pottery. Using examples, we discuss some of the representations as gods, mythological creatures or court scenes in which exotic, arcadian and archaic Japan was depicted, mainly to enchanted the west.  
    • In the page The Beauty of Gosu Blue we highlight some aspects of Satsuma decorated with gosu blue, which is natural cobalt blue as opposed to the synthetic cobalt blue that was produced later and not until the last quarter of the 19th century. It is often found on a type of Sastuma called (in the West) Imperial Satsuma, and for collectors it is one of the most desirable types of Satsuma objects.
    • The Reticulated Satsuma page provides information about a style of decoration in which the wall of a vase, cup or other vessel is perforated with honeycombs or other motifs. Unlike many other (Kyoto) Satsuma, where the painting seems more important than the form, reticulated Satsuma focuses entirely on the beauty and balance between the only sparse brushwork and the minutely carved patterns of the body. 

    Interesting sources regarding Satsuma pottery

     All files mentioned here are available for download as PDF files or Word documents.  

    NEW WEBSITE: A view on contemporary Japanese ceramics

    While this website focuses primarily on Satsuma and Satsuma ceramics, it does not close its eyes to the beautiful ceramics that were and continue to be made in Japan in more recent times. The  last page  is an introduction to our new website "Gendai-tojiki", dedicated to contemporary Japanese ceramics and their makers.  For further information about this new website you can click here A view on contemporary Japanese ceramics   or go  directly  to the website :  Gendai-Tojikii. 

                  We hope you will enjoy using this website.

     

     

    Acknowledgments.

    The marks and other information come from many different sources, found on the internet such as e-bay, and many art dealers and small and large auction houses, in books or contributed by website visitors. Although Satsuma-database does not pay too much attention to copyrights of others, and cannot always meet common, scholarly criteria regarding source attribution, we are of course grateful to all those who have contributed to the content of this website. We  would like to explicitly mention and thank here:

    Mr. Martin Michels, a fellow collector and undoubtedly the biggest supplier of marks. From his huge collection of Japanese ceramic marks we were allowed to use whatever we wanted, and in numerous discussions on the correctness of newly found marks and their possible translation into Japanese names he has provided welcome input.

    Mr.Howard Reed who has been a frequent contributor of new marks from the very beginning of this website and also with a very keen eye has alerted us to errors and mistakes. Much of his advice on the structure and design of the Satsuma database website we have gratefully adopted and applied in this updated version. His expert contribution to this website in the form of various articles is much appreciated.

    Mr. John Henley, author of many interesting articles on Japanese ceramics, has been a valued interlocutor in numerous e-mails about Satsuma and other ceramics from the Meij and Taisho periods for a number of years, and has certainly contributed with papers and articles to a better understanding of them.

    Mr. Jared Northrup, a young art dealer and collector from Georgia, USA, who was in the past a source of inspiration to us through his knowledge, passion and unwavering enthusiasm for Japanese ceramics and beauty in general, which he shared with us in extensive correspondence. We wish him all the best.

    For questions, comments or suggestions, please contact:

    satsuma-info@gmx.com

     

     

     

     

     

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