Aritai Koimari Map Vase - 19th Cent. Edo Period (1603-1867)This piece of unusual blue and white Arita ware features the novel use of maps as ceramic decoration, a phenomena only appeared in Japan in the early 19th century. The vase features a map of Japan floating in the waves of the ocean with each of its provinces named in Kanji Chinese. Despite the awareness of its place in the world, a contemporaneous insularity was still reflected in the map's design, in which foreign countries were placed in the margin of the map and some was given titles such as ‘country of little people’. The vase was decorated with underglaze blue and white and the glaze displays an even crackles throughout. On the base of the vase, it was marked with four Kanji characters "Made in Tenpo years".This creation of the "map" ware was a reflection of the growing perception of the nation as a single entity, spurred by the tumultuous interactions with the foreigners such as the Portuguese, as well as the increasing domestic travels at the time.Carries the four character mark Tempo nen sei, Edo Period (19th century) Item is located in Corona Del Mar, Ca.

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10 x 3 in