3. Hododa

It is assumable that in the early 1890’s he set up a fairly sizable decorating studio although the exact date is not sure as there are no known written records other than trade brochures and retail catalogs from the period. In 1897 he started to exporter of Satsuma ware from Yokohama al over the world. Since Hododa Shoten was a manufacturer and tradinghouse  it's likely that Satsuma pieces with Hododa's name were not made by him but to order by one of the many studios, set up quickly to meet foreign demands. The quality of the assortment varies from mediocre to high and sometimes exceptional. Vases and other ware decorated with rakan and dragons on a dark brown ground are most frequent seen and typical for Hododa.  Most of the makers are anonymous since their work were signed with “Hododa” only,  but on quality products it can also occur with the name of the decorator. Some very good artists who have worked for or with Hododa were Yoshinobu, Meizan, Masanobu, Taizan  and Shozan. There is no record information about the death of Hododa or the close down of the company, but it is assumable that all Hododa signed Satsuma products were made between 1890 and no later as 1920.