Manufacturing Imari Porcelain in Hizen [Province], figure 1 from the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue (Products of Greater Japan)

 

Japanese Color Woodblock Print

Manufacturing Imari Porcelain in Hizen [Province],

figure 1

from the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue

(Products of Greater Japan)

by Utagawa Hiroshige III, 1877

Manufacturing Imari Porcelain, figure 2 in Hizen [Province] from the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue (Products of Greater Japan)
IHL Cat. #1499

About This Print


One of 118 prints in the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue (Products of Greater Japan), issued in August 1877 to coincide with the opening of Japan’s first National Industrial Exposition (Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai) held in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, depicting women preparing porcelain clay to be used by two male potters shaping Imari ware. "Imari" refers to the port near Arita in Hizen from which the pottery was shipped.  Porcelain production, pioneered by Korean potters living in Japan, began in the early seventeenth century.1

See IHL Cat. #1494 Manufacturing Imari Porcelain, figure 2 in Hizen [Province] which depicts the painting of Imari porcelain.

The artist based many of his designs on designs that appeared in the 1799 book Nihon Sankai Meisan Zue (Famous Sea and Land Products in Japan), leaving some question whether everything Hiroshige III portrayed in the series was truly the "state of the art" in 1877 when the series was issued.  (Although for many activities pictured, things would have looked much the same in 1877 as in 1799.) In many cases, the information in the scroll is also copied from the earlier work.

click on image to enlarge
肥前伊萬利陶器
Illustration of manufacturing Imari pottery in Hizen from Nihon Sankai Meisan Zue (Famous Sea and Land Products in Japan), 1799

Hizen Province (肥前国 Hizen no kuni) was an old province ofJapan in the area of Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called Hishū (肥州), with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō. It did not include the regions of Tsushima and Iki that are now part of modern Nagasaki Prefecture.2

Multiple Editions (Variant Printings)

At least three variant printings (editions) were made of this series.  Each variant printing uses a different colored cartouche containing the series' title, either red, green or rainbow-colored.  Different colored borders were also used and variances in the use of colors and shading are present in the three editions.

Scroll Inscription

Source: with thanks to Yajifun http://yajifun.tumblr.com/

大日本物産圖會 肥前伊万里陶器造図 一　三代目歌川広重　1877年

“肥前國伊万里燒ハ本朝テ尤上品とす 就中大河内三河内より出る物上等也 此燒物に用る土を しら土と云て泉山より出て其性甚だ堅し 拳（ゲン）のふを以て打かき金杵にて是をつき 末粉となして他の土 二三種合せて溜池に漂（ヒタ）し よく和したるを飯籮（イガキ）にてこし 外の溜池にうつしよく澄（スミ）て浮（ウキ）たるものを揚（アゲ）て素（ス）やきの釜にぬりて乾（カハカ）し 再び清水に調和（テウクワ）し粘和（コネ）て工人に与ふ 是まで婦人の所為（シワサ）也"

「シラ土ヲ溜池ニ入ル」「澄シタル土ヲ上る図」「土ヲコネル図」「円器ヲ拵ル図」


1 Metropolitan Museum of Art website http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jpor/hd_jpor.htm

Print Details

 IHL Catalog
 #1499
 Title or Description Manufacturing Imari Porcelain in Hizen, figure 1
 肥前伊万里陶器造図 一 Hizen imari tōki tsukuru zu ichi
 Series
 Dai Nippon Bussan Zue 大日本物産図会 (Products of Greater Japan)
 Artist Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842–1894)
 Signature
 廣重筆 Hiroshige hitsu in bottom right margin (trimmed from this print)
 Seal none
 Publication Date 1877 (Meiji 10) 
 Publisher
 Ōkura Magobei 大倉孫兵衛 (Kin'eido; 1843-1921) [Marks: pub. ref. 627]
 Impression excellent
 Colors excellent
 Condition good - centerfold reinforced by tape on verso
 Genre nishiki-e; kaika-e
 Miscellaneous  
 Format chuban
 H x W Paper 
 6 3/4 x 9 5/16 in. (17.1 x 23.7 cm)
 H x W Image
 6 3/8 x 9 in.  (16.2 x 22.9 cm)
 Literature 

 Collections This Print
 Waseda University Library Archives 01_04265_0001; National Institutes for the Humanities H-22-1-30-7-5