r/japanart

We bought this at an antique shop in Central Alabama that we frequent. The seller said it was over a hundred years old, however were not entirely sure about that.

It is roughly 48 1/2" long (not including 13" added by the hanging cord) and 29" wide. It has a fair bit of damage to it and has been repaired from the back multiple times. It has a lot of texture and is clearly painted on some sort of fine fabric and backed with paper. There is a wooden tube at the bottom.

We are looking for any information on it. Google has told us the image is of the fujiwara no mitsuyoshi of tosa taisaiura. I'm not sure if that's correct or not. It looks similar to many of the older tapestry/scrolls that pull up when I researched as well. However, I do think it is more than likely a knock off, but possibly a near antique knock off of something older?

I am looking for info on it's possible age/value/history. We didn't pay that much for it, and mostly want the info so we know if we should take extra care of it or just hang it as is!

Apologies if this is the wrong place to post! I can also take more pictures if needed. Thank you!

(A quick note before you read: I know my posts are exceptionally long, especially this one. It took me a while to write this one. Some people on Reddit get used to short post. Thus, they sometimes mistake me for an AI bot! I promise I am very much a human collector. Antique collecting is purely my personal passion, not my profession. However, my unique approach comes from my 40-year career as a scientific researcher. I naturally treat my hobby like a research project—interviewing art experts, taking meticulous notes, and even speaking directly with artists and specialists to truly understand the authenticity, techniques, culture, and history behind each piece. Thank you for your patience with my academic writing style!)

Hello everyone!

After sharing Totai cloisonné, my teapots, and my vanity boxes over the last three posts, today I want to bring everything full circle. This is my 36th featured collection post here on Reddit, and it is dedicated to the very object that started it all: the Japanese cloisonné vase.

As some of you know from my previous stories, my wife and I have been collecting Japanese cloisonné for exactly 34 years. Long before a broken-down car led me to Totai teapots 28 years ago, our entire lifelong obsession was sparked by a single Japanese cloisonné vase (Picture 2) we spotted in an antique shop. That was 34 years ago. The absolute beauty, precision, and artistry of that single piece sparked a lifelong passion. Over the last three decades, that initial spark has led us to curate a collection of more than 40 pieces, spanning various sizes, shapes, materials, colors, and functions.

As a regular collector, I quickly run into a very realistic issue: display space, whuch every collector faces. During the first few years, I collected mostly large items, especially porcelain and ceramic pieces. We quickly realized our shelves were running out of room! To balance things out, I intentionally shifted my focus to small and miniature items in the later stages of my collecting journey.

I discovered that miniature items are incredibly rewarding to collect. Whether it is antique coins, hooks, buckles, tsatsas, miniature Thangkas, or small cloisonné, they require very little storage space. Yet, they share the exact same high-level craftsmanship as larger pieces—and are often even harder to make because of their minute scale.

Looking back at my early days of collecting, you can see I had a sense that space might eventually run into an issue. You can see that my set collections always contain the miniature ones.

Today, our cloisonné vase collection stands at "11" pieces—including one "incredible new addition" I acquired just a few days ago. You will notice I intentionally put quotation marks around "11" and "incredible new addition." This is because the last one I bought is actually a fake wireless cloisonné vase. I only have 10 real ones.

In my last post, I mentioned that in order to complete my collection loop, I was looking for a piece of wireless cloisonné. The search for a wireless piece led to a funny (and slightly disappointing) collecting story. I saw a vase on eBay listed simply as "cloisonné" that looked exactly like wireless work. Since I had never owned a piece before, it was hard to confirm from the pictures alone. I even asked an AI tool, which assured me it was wireless cloisonné! Excited by the great price, I bought it immediately. When it arrived, I discovered it wasn't cloisonné at all—it was a porcelain vase painted to look like it. It was a classic collecting misstep, but those little surprises and learning moments are all part of the fun of the journey.

From Picture 1, can you spot the fake wireless cloisonné?

When you see the vase in Picture 12, are you surprised that both I and the AI were tricked by the photo? Many sellers list these types of porcelain vases as cloisonné vases. The AI could not recognize it correctly because the information presented to it was wrong. I was wrong because I had never seen one before, and the seller listed it as a cloisonné vase. What pushed me to buy it even more was that the price was listed as very good. In order to get it, I raised my price three times.

At first glance, it perfectly mimics the distinct aesthetic of wireless cloisonné (Musen Shippo) popularized by famous workshops like the Ando Cloisonné Company. The soft, gradient shading of the green background fading to white at the neck, combined with the seamless, borderless execution of the pink roses, is an exact visual match for masterwork enamel pieces.

The Mystery Solved: Tajimi Shippo Ceramics

What the AI and I stumbled upon is a highly deceptive style of mid-century Japanese art porcelain. Many of these items were produced by companies like Tajimi, Fuji Shippo, or similar creators out of Nagoya.

While they use the word Shippo (cloisonné) in their name, they were actually specialized pottery workshops. They designed porcelain specifically to capture the high-end look of prestigious wireless enamelware at a more affordable price point.

How the Trick WorksThe Glaze Technique: Instead of baking layers of glass paste inside cells, these pieces use a precise, sprayed underglaze gradient to duplicate the seamless blend of true wireless cloisonné.The "Metal" Accents: The faux metal rims at the lip and base are often cleverly glazed, silver-gilded, or thin metal bands fitted over the ceramic to fool the collector's eye when you don't have the item in hand.

True Japanese wireless cloisonné (musen shippo) is strictly a vitreous glass enamel process fused over a heavy copper, brass, or silver metal body. The defining feature is that temporary wires are painstakingly removed before firing so the glass melts together with no outlines at all.

The Tajimi / Fuji Shippo Art Porcelain Vase

Form: Ovoid body with a flared rim, designed to visually replicate high-end wireless enamelware (Musen Shippo).

The Illusion: Features a sprayed underglaze green-to-white color gradient and borderless pink roses to mimic the seamless look of true wireless enamel. Thin gilded lines copy the appearance of metal wire accents.

The Reality: This is structurally a ceramic object, not a cloisonné piece. Fired by specialized mid-century pottery workshops near Nagoya (such as Tajimi or Fuji Shippo), these items were mass-market art porcelain designed to replicate the appearance of luxury enamel-on-metal at an affordable price point.

Most sellers selling these items do not recognize that they have categorized them incorrectly. It is not their intention to misrepresent the information, because not many people understand what wireless cloisonné is or may not have seen or handled one before. Furthermore, when they ask an AI, the AI mistakenly tells them that they are wireless cloisonné.

Anyway, it makes for a fantastic cautionary tale and an excellent companion piece to my collection history.

Now, let's look across these 10 real vases. You can trace the complete stylistic shift of Japanese cloisonné from the busy, geometric, metal-focused mid-19th-century designs to the clean, painterly, minimalist masterpieces of the 20th century.

Group 1: The Early-to-Mid Meiji Foundations (1850s–1880s)

Characteristics: Hand-wrought, heavy copper or brass wirework and opaque enamels.

1. The 1850s–1870s Ovoid Panel VaseForm: High-waisted, footed ovoid shape featuring prominent vertical panel divisions over a dark green ground. Can you believe I paid $320 for it in 1998? This is the first cloisonné I purchased.

Technique: Translucent green and blue enamel applied over a crinkled metal foil ground (Ginbari).

Decoration: Detailed butterfly motifs and flowers outlined with heavy brass wires using semi-opaque doro (mud) enamels.

2. The 1870s–1880s Bottle-Neck Vase

Form: Miniature cabinet scale featuring a bulbous lower body transitioning into an elongated, parallel neck.

Technique: Early-period, primitive crinkled foil-backed green and purple panels.

Decoration: A dense brass-wired fish-scale pattern along the upper neck, moving into floral scrollwork over a deep cobalt blue field on the shoulder.

3. The 1870s–1880s Miniature Mosaic Vase

Form: The smallest miniature piece in the collection.

Technique: A background consisting of hundreds of hand-cut, microscopic green silver foil squares arranged in a "cracked-ice" mosaic pattern.

Decoration: Medallion panels outlined in red, containing brass-wired florets against an opaque sky-blue field on one side, and butterflies over an amber ground on the other.

4. The 1875–1885 Totai Shippo Vase

Form: A rare porcelain-core hybrid utilizing an unglazed ceramic body rather than a metal core.

Technique: The upper and lower rims intentionally expose the cream-colored ceramic body, while the neck and base use a matte, textured "tree bark" black lacquer ground.

Decoration: The central sky-blue panel is densely packed with intricate, heart-shaped scroll wires (wenli) surrounding traditional garden flowers and a butterfly.

5. The 1880–1890 Phoenix Vase

Form: Classic tapered cabinet vase with geometric shoulder transitions.

Technique: A deep black ground on the shoulder infused with shimmering Goldstone / Aventurine particles (Chakin) beneath scrolling wirework.

Decoration: A central shield-shaped emblem in bright yellow enamel depicting a Japanese Phoenix bird in flight, bordered by complex geometric diaper bands.

6. The 1880–1895 Garlic-Head Miniature Vase

Form: Exceptional Kyoto-style bud vase with a compressed garlic-bulb lower body and a slender, elongated neck.

Technique: Microscopic gold-wire scrollwork (karakusa) covering the lower body, with rich Goldstone / Aventurine enamel fill inside the butterfly wings.

Decoration: Vertical red panel dividers and repeating geometric patterns set against a soft, creamy pink ground along the neck.

Group 2: The Late Meiji, Taisho & Showa Refinement (1890s–1930s)

Characteristics: Precision silver wirework, highly advanced enamel chemistry, and a painterly aesthetic.

7. The Matched Emerald Green Pair

Form: A perfectly matched mirror pair of cabinet vases complete with custom wooden bases.

Technique: Translucent emerald green glass enamel fired over a highly regular, machine-stamped basket-weave silver foil ground.

Decoration: Naturalistic, lifelike white and pink roses trailing on thorny stems, outlined with ultra-fine, precision silver wires.

8. The "Pigeon Blood" (Akasuke) Cherry Blossom Vase

Form: Sleek, tapered cabinet vase maximizing reflective surface area.

Technique: Coated in highly prized, deep ruby-red translucent enamel (Akasuke) layered over a uniform, diamond-patterned silver foil ground.

Decoration: Detailed cherry blossom branches (sakura) trailing across the crimson field, featuring soft white-to-pink gradient shading inside silver wire outlines.

9. The Imperial Yellow Peony Vase

Form: Rounded, broad-shouldered cabinet vase. This tenth addition features an opaque yellow background with a voluminous silver-wired pink and white peony blossom.

Technique: Wrapped in a completely flawless, opaque yellow ground that requires intense firing precision to avoid dark specks or blemishes.

Decoration: A large, voluminous pink and white peony blossom (Botan) with deep green foliage contoured by silver wires, finished with polished dark metal rims.

Do you remember in my last post I talked about my collecting rule of thumb: The Power of Variety? If you look at this group, can you see that I am continuously following that rule? Never collect the same item twice unless it is a pair. Instead, chase maximum variety. By following this rule, this collection deliberately covers every possible variable: the shapes, the scales, the materials, and the colors. Because a varied collection turns a simple hobby into a living historical archive of vibrant beauty. It highlights the incredible versatility of Japanese master enamelers. Grouping these contrasting pieces together tells the complete, engaging story of artistic evolution!

Collector Insights on the Vase Market

For anyone inspired to start their own journey, Japanese cloisonné vases offer an incredible spectrum for collectors. While massive, museum-grade presentation pieces signed by master artists like Namikawa Yasuyuki or Ando Juhei can command thousands of dollars at major auctions, beautiful, unsigned cabinet vases and export pieces like these can still be found at estate sales and antique shops for $60 to $350. They are a beautiful, accessible way to hold 100+ years of artistic genius in your hands.

I would love to hear which style speaks to you the most—the rare ceramic body of the Totai, the shimmering depth of the Gin-bari foil, or the classic dense wirework panels? Do you prefer large ones or small ones?

I am going to post detailed pictures one by one next for reference.

If you love my collection and story, please keep an eye out for my upcoming 37th Collection post! In that thread, I will be showcasing my 4 Japanese cloisonné belt buckles right alongside a non-cloisonné belt buckle. You will see that miniature collections are also incredibly beautiful and don't occupy much space.

Please help me to identify the artist. I‘m new to japan art. Therefor I have some more questions: Looks like been painted with watercolor. …or ink? Are the two boys playing? What does the sign in the cartouche mean? KI said something like „ long life“ Sorry for the quality of the fotos. I didn‘t wanted to open the frame. Thank you for your help!

Thanks again

I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking at and can't read japanese. My dad visited Japan in the '90s, and he must have picked this up during that trip.

Today, I want to share my 33rd collection post on Reddit, along with the story behind it.

My journey with Japanese cloisonné began 34 years ago. My wife and I were immediately captivated by the incredible beauty and craftsmanship of the medium, and we have gathered almost 40 pieces over the decades.

Today, I want to focus on a very special subset of our collection: ceramic cloisonné (Totai Shippo).

What drew me to Totai Shippo 28 years ago was how it moves beyond the flashy brilliance of traditional metal-based cloisonné. It perfectly balances the gorgeous, intricate wirework of traditional enamel with the warm, tactile texture of ceramics, resulting in an incredibly delicate artistic expression.

This specific collection took us over 28 years to piece together.

The teapot you see here was the very beginning of that journey, back in August 1998. My car overheated and broke down on my morning commute. While waiting for the repairs, I wandered into a nearby antique store in Tustin, California. There, I spotted this teapot and bought it for $300. The shop owner estimated it was made around 1885 during the Meiji Period.

When I brought it home, my wife absolutely loved it, and it quickly became her favorite piece. As those who read my earlier posts know, my wife is an artist and has a very sharp eye for beauty. That single roadside breakdown completely sparked our lifelong passion for Totai Shippo.

At the very beginning of our journey, we actually had the chance to buy a complete, factory-matched 7-piece set identical in style to my teapot for $1,200 from a auction house. We seriously thought about buying it, but we realized that doing so would strip away the true joy of collecting. We decided to let things happen naturally—only buying a piece if we crossed paths with it by fate, rather than rushing just to possess it. Over the next 28 years, we slowly accumulated this group of ceramic cloisonné along with over a dozen beautiful Japanese cloisonné teapots.The pieces in my collection are not a factory set; they do not come from the same period or the same workshop. They are individual pieces crafted using similar techniques by different artisans across different eras. Hunting for them this way brought a completely different kind of joy.

The $4,500 Full-Circle Moment:

I recently came across an online listing (included as the last screenshot in my gallery) while i was doing research for my collection showing a complete, pristine 7-piece matching set identical to the style we passed up 28 years ago. It is currently listed for $4,500! It’s fascinating to see how the market value has appreciated over nearly three decades.

My assembled group actually has several more individual pieces than that set, but its market value is likely much lower because it isn't matching. To us, that doesn't matter. This journey has taught us the art of letting go. Collecting isn't about mere ownership or financial tags; it’s about the experience, the hunt, the enjoyment you collected another piece, and the appreciation of the craft.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the pieces I've gathered over the decades( sorry about the images order, the reddit load up functions messed up the order after i loaded and it does not allow me to change the image order. So i can only change the image order in the fellowing text):

Slide 2: The Whole Family - The complete group of Totai Shippo gathered over 28 years, showing the unifying turquoise palette across various forms.

Slide 7: The Teapot - The 1885 piece that started it all. It features a stunning heart-shaped floral panel outlined in hair-thin silver wire (Yuusen Shippo).

Slide 6: The Tea Cups & Creamer - A closer look at the cups, saucers, and small creamer pitcher. Notice how beautifully they match the aesthetic of the formal set.

Slide 5: Covered Box with Peach Finial (Kogo) - A beautiful incense or trinket box topped with a molded ceramic peach knob, a symbol of longevity.

Slide 1: Flat Trinket Box - A slightly flatter, round box featuring a dynamic butterfly and a traditional geometric floral emblem.

Slide 4: Pair of Miniature Ginger Jars (Chatsubo) - These feature striking black-ground medallions enclosing delicate floral sprays, creating a brilliant contrast against the turquoise body.

Slide 3: Large Baluster Vase - The centerpiece anchoring the collection. It utilizes a complex three-tiered color zone layout with a regal black neck and base.

Slide 8: The reference listing - The pristine matching set currently on the market for $4,500, beautifully matching the style of my original teapot.

I would love to hear your thoughts! Does anyone else here collect Totai Shippo?

I am wishing to more of the history of this Japanese painting. I am posting photos of the red Seal, The panel which is a painting on a hard surfaced paper with silk borders which wrap around a wooden frame which is inside a wood frame without any finish and a brass hanging piece at the top. I have been lead to believe it is Taiko-bari drum mount of a Chabako-B屏風 (Tea-Box / Small Hanging Screen Panel) or a masterfully preserved byōbu (folding screen) leaf that was professionally re-mounted for a tea room or Western home in the late 19th or early 20th century. I know it one of the 8 views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers and the poetry reads:

平沙落鴈 Wild geese descend on the sandy shore

騾者如飛 Mule drivers fly like the wind

雇奴高 Hired slaves are tall

呌 Shout

蘆岸白沙 White sand on the reed-lined bank

潔淨不 Clean and spotless

可唾也？ Can one spit on it?

Is the seal 2 characters that read 野隠 Yě yǐn Nogaku? Since it is Japanese is the artist Nogaku? Or perhaps, as has been suggested, it is 4 characters? I have drawn the seal myself in another photo as I to what I see.

Also can the probable age of the painting be determined?

What can be determined if anything from the brass fitting at the top of the frame?

Hi Everyone! I'm looking for an ID not on a blade but on an image of a blade! I picked up this kimono chirimen fabric at an antiques market in Nagano a couple of months ago, and i'm wondering if the image printed is of a specific well known blade or just a generic one with it's tsuba and kogatana. Thank you!