14. Seikozan

SEIKOZAN Seikozan Workshop [operating in Meiji period]

精巧山

Seikozan is one of the most famous and valued suppliers of Satsuma products. He owes his fame to the exceptional refinement of his products, with a meticulously painted representation of daily life in ancient Japan. His fame contrasts strongly with what is known about his life, and that is no more than that he probably came from Kobe and worked in the Meiji era at the end of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. The fact that Kobe in that time was a centre for traders and dealers rather then a centre of artistic activity as well as the fact that so little is known about Seikozans life or his studio is reason for Louis Lawrence to assume that Seikozan is not the name of an artist, potter or studio, but a trading house that produced or ordered high-quality products on commission. He further assumes that the Seikozan, who worked for the Yasuda company (his signature is frequently found together with the Yasudo logo) is a different person than the Seikozan referred to here. He bases that on the manner of signing, although we do not find these differences convincing. Lawrence also describes Seikozan as "an exceptional artist whose work is consistently good" which is contrary to the assumption that Seikozan would be a Trading House. Gisela Jahn also seems to assume that Seikozan was a workshop, an "etsuke", therefore a decoration studio that received glazed but undecorated Satsuma products from kilns in the Kagoshima region. In any case, it is striking how little information is available about the life and background of Seikozan, who can be considered one of the most important makers of Satsuma because of the quality of his work.