Only the dragon and the rough waves are drawn inside and outside the bowl, and the dragon is elaborately drawn in red, and the roughness of the waves are expressed by shading. So, the contrast of the colors including white body is wonderful.

Kutani have few designs of big dragon, and this dragon is a magnificent design that can be compared with Suda Seika (須田菁華) ‘s “blue and white vase with dragon”, who received high praise for drawing dragons.

size: caliber about 14.6 cm, height about 9.6 cm

The red dragon which descends from the dark sky, and the ultramarine blue waves which turn around the surface of the sea, extend from the inside of the bowl to the outside, making it look like a Japanese-style painting. It looks more dynamic as it is not painted with gold, as the painting has a glimpse of the powerfulness of Asai Ichimo (浅井一毫), a master of red and gold fine painting, who was a master of Shimode (下出).

The five-clawed dragon found in Suda Seika (須田菁華) ‘s “blue and white vase with dragon” was drawn as a dignified dragon because it was only allowed to be used in the emperor’s equipment and buildings. On the other hand, this dragon is a three-clawed dragon that was allowed to be used by anyone other than the emperor, so it looks a little calm and has a gentle look.

The roughness of waves in the dark looks as if it is painted in ultramarine blue paint, but the waves in the dark can be is well expressed just by blue and white blurring and shading like a painting.

The back name is written as “九谷kutani / 梅仙Baisen”. Unusually, the body without glaze is exposed around the back name, on the contrary, the strength seems be expressed in the glazing as well as the painting.

creator of the work

Shimode Baisen  下出 梅仙　　born in 1889, died in 1982

Shimode Baisen studied a red fine painting from Osaka Kiyoji (大幸清次), a high-ranking disciple of Takeuchi Ginshu (竹内吟秋), for three years from the age of 13, and then learned a color painting from Matsumoto Sahei (松本佐平) for three years from 1905. In addition, he was one of the few disciples who studied under Asai Ichimo (浅井一毫) in his later years.

After that, Shimode became independent in 1918, and built painting kiln at his home, and worked hard on the creation. Like Asai Ichimo, Shimode was said to be one of the master craftsmen because he was good at drawing red fine painting and also skillful in color painting.