Today we’ll take a look at the pottery and stands we saw in Japan. This post would be way too photo heavy as a single, so I’ll be splitting it up into 3 parts. Hopefully it won’t take too long to load for you that way!
Now, on to the pots!
Shofuen

A nice Antique Chinese yellow antique mirror shape, and other pots in the display case.

A nice Haruyoshi, that eventually made its way to Canada.
Yamatoen

A really nice blue. The maker is Heian Ado, and it is a Miyabi pot.

A pair of world class Tofukuji rectangles.

The top is a second generation Shukuho, the bottom is one of the most impressively glazed Heian Kouzan I’ve seen.

Matched pair of Tofukuji.

The rectangle blue and square green are Tofukuji. The painted pot in the lower right is Tsukinowa Shousen, Yusen’s grandson.
Koju En
As I mentioned before, we were quite in luck with the day we visited Koju En, as Masumi San had just purchased a large collection of world class pieces. Koju En has some of the best of the best pottery on normal days, the additional pieces were a bonus treat!

Tsukinowa Yusens and other specimen rarities.

Tsukinowa Yusen.

Some of the pots from the purchased collection. Almost all of these are Tofukuji. There are also a couple of unpainted porcelain Yusen, an Aiso, a Seifu Yohei…
Note the fantastically glazed blue Tofukuji in the back with the plaque….

Which came back to the US to the collection of Matt Ouwinga of Kaede Bonsai En! This pot is featured in the Tofukuji Book, and is a Miyabi pot. Miyabi pots and bonsai are the equivalent of Kichou bonsai, for shohin. Basically, it means they are recognized cultural treasures of Shohin Bonsai and pots. Every year, at the Gafu Ten, around 15 bonsai and pots are chosen, and featured in the last few pages of the albums. The first 30 years are collected in the album “Miyabi”, and features 1-384. This pot was recognized at the 31st Gafu Ten, and is numbered 385.

From the other 3 sides and the bottom. Wonderfully unique, and wonderfully representative of the best glaze work of Tofukuji. By a longshot, this is the best Tofukuji in the United States!

Another Miyabi pot, a painted Tofukuji. The plaques are mismatched on these in the photos, this is actually number 405.

A couple of Heian Kouzan. The left is pre war, the right later. I hadn’t quite got the grips of numeration when I saw these…almost tried to snap up the Left before I was told it was 35man, not 3man 5 sen!(that’s 3500$ versus 350$!)

Sansyu Ichiyo mini Suiban.

A few specimen pots atop Kiri Bako. Ichiyo mostly.

Some nice looking displays.

A veritable sea of Takao Koyo pots.

Heian Kouzan, Kouso(post 1972 Kouzan) and Gekkou.

The painted Kouzan above. Super nice detail and patina.

Specimen pots from the purchased collection cover every surface, even the floor!

No idea on the maker, but this apricot skin glaze is interesting.

Terebineri Tofukuji.

Riveted Drum Tofukuji.

Small blue glazed hand formed Tofukuji.

Small hand formed unglazed Tofukuji.

Footed blue green rectangle Tofukuji.

A medium size round Tofukuji with characteristic feet.

Cream glazed oval Tofukuji with an exceptional patina.

A pair of very thick walled unglazed Tofukuji. These are a unique matched pair!

While Matt Ouwinga walked away with a few more specimen pots from Koju En(no need for me to gloat by proxy), he also picked up this really cool unglazed banded oval. The pot itself isn’t exceptional, but in the interior are the 7 major stamps used by Tofukuji. Masumi San told us that he was drunk when he made it!(Tofukuji lived fairly close to Koju En, so Masumi Sans’ father knew him fairly well).
Yamatoen

Syuzan!!

A nice old shohin footed rectangle. Looks to be antique Chinese.

Pots!

Antique cream glazed rectangle.

Tofukuji

Pair of Chinese antiques, Ro-Kinyo(blue with white flecks) and yellow.

Thanks for reading! Up next, we’ll take a look at the pottery from The other nurseries we visited, then see what I brought I home(which doesn’t compare to most of these, unfortunately!), and wrap my impressions up of What I saw of Bonsai in Japan in a short essay.