Gillers Antiques Ltd has dated this Japanese Satsuma Porcelain Bowl to the 1900s.
Their best decorators combined an ivory crackle ground with micro-stippled skies, brocade diapers and rich raised gold, achieving a painterly precision rarely matched outside Kyoto.
The interior presents a fully developed night battle under a full moon: two corps of samurai press at close quarters beside a riverside camp; faces are individualised, armour lacing and brocades are rendered point by point; the central commander bears the Shimazu clan crest (maru-juji). The exterior in deep cobalt is strewn with floating gilt mons and roundels, a luxurious counterpoint to the pale interior. This bowl shows Kinkozan discipline at scale: thousands of controlled dots, crisp linework, readable composition and narrative tension, all hallmarks of the studio’s leading output.
Marks: square gilt KINKOZAN seal over iron-red; adjacent painter’s device now abraded.
Date: late Meiji, circa 1890–1910.
Condition: excellent for age; rubbing of gilt confined to the cobalt rim and exterior only; the interior scene is bright, intact and unrestored; no cracks or repairs observed.
Artistic and material value: collector-grade Kyoto Satsuma with strong figure painting, deep cobalt exterior and identifiable clan mon; large format adds display power.
Investment note: large narrative Kinkozan bowls remain a blue-chip segment of Kyoto Satsuma with steady international demand.
Dimensions: diameter 24.8 cm; height 11.5 cm; weight 1.785 kg.
Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them. The item will be shipped with full tracking and insurance. It is important to note that shipping costs include labour, packaging and postage.
Gillers Antiques Ltd has dated this Japanese Satsuma Porcelain Bowl to the 1900s.
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Monumental Kinkozan Kyoto Satsuma Bowl with Moonlit Samurai Battle and Shimazu Mon, c.1900
