Edo Period Ko-Imari Blue-and-White Sake Bottle (Tokkuri) with Drum and Braid Motif

Story

During Japan's 18th-century Kyōhō era, peaceful urban culture flourished, turning everyday banquet items like this sake bottle into canvases for musical and theatrical symbols. Its trailing cords and hand drums evoke the rhythmic energy of classical Noh theater.

Maker / Origin

Crafted in the famed kilns of Arita in northern Kyushu, where porcelain was first mastered in Japan following the discovery of kaolin clay in Izumiyama around 1616. The potters of this golden age refined high-fire underglaze blue painting into an expressive, uniquely Japanese decorative tradition.

Condition & Value

The bottle exhibits minor kiln grit, spur marks, and small firing imperfections along the base and footrim typical of early 18th-century Arita firing techniques. The glaze and underglaze blue remain vivid with no overt structural breaks visible, while the accompanying wooden box and lacquer stopper show gentle, authentic age wear.