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The name Fukagawa may mean a lot to collectors of Japanese porcelains in this country but in Japan, the name is highly revered. Potters from the Fukagawa Family started work at the Imari kilns in Kyushu Island, Japan in 1650. Fukagawa Chuji was the best known Imari designer. He started his own ceramics company in 1894. The company was awarded the Grand Prize at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, and in 1910 FUKAGAWA-SEIJI was appointed official purveyor to the Japanese Imperial Household. This practice continues today,
On my last visits to Japan, contemporary pieces from the Fukagawa company, are available for purchase in major department stores like Takashimaya, Diamaru and Yamakataya and many others.
Fukagawa porcelains are known for their pristine porcelains and fine designs. This globular shape vase with a flared mouth is decorated with blue and white chrysanthemum on red ground.. The different shaped chrysanthemum are done in white and highlighted in gold . The leaves are done in light blue, a soft compliments to the magnificent flowers. The flower designs gracefully covered the surface of the vase, with no overlapping. It is a very pretty vase. The company seal mark - Mount Fuji with a stream with the name Fukagawa under it. This seal is done in underglaze, making it older than the later seals that are done as an overglaze.
PS: I just returned from a two week cruise around Japan and I was at Takashimaya in Tokyo and Diammaru in Kobe where I searched for Fukugawa pieces in their Fine China department. There were new and vintage pieces and the prices were incredibly high and out of reach. April 2025.