A set of 3 bowls were often made as a celebration item, and it is said that the custom of serving dishes in each bowl at a festive banquet and eating the dishes on each person’s plate began in the Meiji period. Looking from the design of “child holding a rooster” drawn on three bowls, it seems that it was made for a celebration related to children.

size: small bowl diameter about 18.8 cm, height about 4.2 cm middle bowl diameter about 21.3 cm, height about 5.4 cm large bowl diameter about 23.3 cm, height about 6.8 cm

The design of ” child and rooster” is the same as the “child holding rooster” that was also found in the Imperial Palace dolls of the Edo period, and drew a child holding a brave and cockfighting chicken. It is said that parents entrusted the healthy growth of their children to a rooster and wished for it. The designs and patterns are drawn in a slightly dark red color, and the use of gold is modest, giving the viewer the impression of domestic kutani in a calm color.

The appearance of this set is a little smaller than the other set of 3 bowls, but these are a shape that gives the viewers a solid sense of stability.

The back name is written as “大日本Dai-nippon 九谷kutani / 飯山製之made these by Iiyama”.

Creator of the work

Iiyama Katei, 飯山 華亭　　unknown years of birth and death

Iiyama learned painting from Ikeda Kyuka (池田 九華), painter supported from Kaga domain, like the master craftsmen of Kodera Chinzan (小寺 椿山), Haruna Shigeharu (春名 繁春), Sasada Yuzan (笹田友山), Tsuda Nanfu (津田 南皐), and Shimizu Seikan (清水清閑), etc. and created Kanazawa kutani’s excellent works from the early to mid-Meiji period. He enrolled as porcelain painter in Abe Oumi kiln (阿部碧海窯), which was allowed only by excellent painters, and around 1886, like the master craftsmen Iwanami Gyokuzan (岩波玉山) and Haruna Shigeharu, Iiyama painted on Yokohama-yaki in Yokohama.

For these achievements, Iiyama was one of the master craftsmen of kutani in the Meiji period, and was their master for Tomoda Yasukiyo (友田安清), Aikawa Sekka (相川雪花) etc. who later became known as master craftsmen.