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Hi,

Maybe someone can help me with identifying the red mark on this Satsuma vase. It might even be that the mark is upside down. And perhaps tell me if this is real Japanese Satsuma. It is pottery and not porcelain, but is this maybe Japanese or Chinese fake?

Regards,
Martin.

I'll go out on a limb and guess the red mark might be "Seizan" (青山). The black writing on the foot rim, when flipped 90-degrees tot he left, apparently reads down as a factory technical notation concerning a measure of "102" of whatever is being measured.

About "fake" Satsuma, at the risk of oversimplifying, I believe History has been unkind to the Satsuma mark. The hereditary Dukes of Satsuma lost their fiefdom after the Meiji Rebellion succeeded in 1868. Satsuma-marked pottery made before then came from a royal kiln. Satsuma-marked pottery made later didn't, but folks like me have a hard time telling the difference. However, your vase incorporates the circled square from the Satsuma crest into the decorative motif, which is where it probably belongs. There are at least a couple of Seizan marks associated with Satsuma-type stoneware, another being 清山. Of these two, I've seen the one on your vase (青山) on another Japanese vase that very much looked to be post-1950 (Link & photo). So I'd keep an open mind about the date on yours. Maybe Arjan can weigh in with some real wisdom on this question.

Best regards,

Bill H.



URL Title :Seizan

Hi Bill,
Again thanks for making time to help me.
Regards,
Martin

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