Large Flower Vases with Scenes of the Samurai Minamoto no Raikō at Mt. Ōe 頼光大江山入図大花瓶らいこうおおえやまいりずだいかびん

Description

These huge vases stand over one meter high. The three layers of the plinths seem to be supported by demons and legendary beasts known as qilin, while the bodies of the vases are decorated in relief-like fashion with scenes from the tale of Shuten-doji. The inner sections of the wide mouths feature a design of fans floating in water, while the outer sections are decorated with dragon-and-cloud motifs. The ears attached to the sides of the bodies are in the shape of thistle branches and leaves. The vases were cast by pouring molten metal into several molds and then fitting the resultant parts together. Despite the huge size, the superlative skills of the craftsmen are apparent in each intricately-rendered detail.

Yokoyama Takashige and his son Kojun were active from the end of the Edo period to the start of the Meiji era. They mainly worked in Takaoka in Toyama prefecture, a major site of metal casting since olden times. At the dawn of the Meiji era, when these vases were made, Japan had started to demonstrate its high level of technical prowess to the wider world with the aim of exporting its goods in large volumes. When these vases were submitted to the Vienna World Exposition in 1873, they demonstrated the advanced level of Japanese craftsmanship and surprized the world.

This work demonstrates a high level of Japanese craftsmanship through its impressive size and meticulous detail. It was submitted to the Vienna World's Fair in 1873 as a representation of Japan. This is also a collaborative work by Yokoyama Takashige (Yazaemon I) and his son Kojun (Yazaemon II).