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I was researching a Japanese Satsuma mark on the internet about Fuzan and I came upon the marks seen on the picture below. Most of the sites say: Ryuun Fuzan (or Ryu-un Fuzan?). Ryuun means "Dragon clouds".
1) The 1st question is: Is this Ryuun a name or does it mean something else?
2) The 2nd question is: is it Fuzan? The Google translator says Tomiyama. When googling on "Tomiyama Satsuma" one finds only 1 piece on a Christie's website, but the signature is the same as the Fuzan ones below. The 1st Fuzan character looks almost like the 1st character of "Fuki Choshun", so is that where the Fuzan comes from?
Google "Ryuun Fuzan" and you get more hits then "Tomiyama".

I invite everyone to join in, so will can all benefit from the solution(s).
Thanks in advance.
Martin

Japanese artist's names (gô) can often be read in either the Sino-Japanese manner (On-reading) or the native Japanesemanner (Kun-reading).
The names of makers/decorators of porcelain and earthenware are mostly read and pronounced in the Sino-Japanese manner. So, in this case, the names must be read as 'Ryûun' and 'Fuzan'.
The names of makers of inrô, ivory carvers (netsuke, okimono etc) and metalworkers (bronzes etc) are read (but not as a rule...) in the native Japanese manner. In that case, 'Fuzan' could be read as 'Tomiyama', but I don't think that 'Ryûun' (龍雲) can be read as a name, in the Kun-reading.

It's complicated, I know.

Guy.

Hallo Guy,

Thanks for answering my questions.
I didn't' know that, so I'm still learning and yes, sometimes it's pretty complicated.
Regards.
Martin

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