Vintage Japanese Happu-yaki Pottery Vase, Signed Kizan, Hand-Painted Floral Iron-Glaze, Mid-Century Studio Ikebana Hanaire Bottle Vase

✦ Vintage Japanese Happu-yaki Studio Pottery Vase ✦
✦ Signed by the artist Kizan (喜山) ✦

A beautifully hand-thrown Japanese stoneware vase from the Happu-yaki
(八風焼 / "Eight Winds Kiln") tradition, signed on the base by the
artist Kizan (喜山). Hand-painted with iron-glaze floral motifs in the
hakeme (brushed slip) tradition characteristic of mid-century Mino-style
studio pottery.

The vase features a tall bottle form (tokkuri / 徳利-style) with a
gracefully flared spouted lip — equally at home as an ikebana hanaire
(flower vessel) or as a sculptural decorative piece. The cream-white
hakeme slip ground is decorated with bold, gestural floral sprays in
iron-oxide brown and rust pigments, creating a beautifully balanced
composition that wraps fully around the form.

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✦ PROVENANCE — THE SCHOLAR'S ESTATE COLLECTION ✦

Acquired from the estate of a scholarly Pacific Northwest couple —
the husband a historian with degrees from a leading East Coast
university, the wife a graduate of the University of Paris in French
Language and Civilization. The estate included an extensive personal
library of Japanese woodblock print (ukiyo-e) reference books,
auction catalogues, and East Asian art studies — indicating the
family's serious and sustained engagement with Japanese art and
craft traditions.

This is part of an ongoing curated release from the same estate.
Please follow SWCurated to see other pieces from "The Scholar's
Estate Collection."

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✦ MARKS & DATING ✦

The base is marked with three distinct identifiers:

- "八風焼" (Happu-yaki) — the kiln/studio name, meaning "Eight Winds
Kiln"
- "喜山" (Kizan) — the artist's signature seal
- Original yellow-and-green "JAPAN" foil export sticker — fully intact

The standalone "JAPAN" export label (rather than "Made in Japan")
dates this piece to the post-1952 export era, with the foil sticker
style most commonly associated with the 1960s–1970s Showa period.
The hand-thrown construction, hakeme brushwork, and iron-glaze
decoration are all consistent with Mino-region studio pottery
traditions of that era.

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✦ DESIGN & CRAFTSMANSHIP ✦

- HAND-THROWN: Visible wheel-throwing rings throughout the body —
this is genuine studio pottery, not slip-cast production work
- HAKEME GROUND (刷毛目): White slip applied with a coarse brush,
leaving rhythmic textural strokes that catch and reflect light
- IRON-OXIDE FLORAL DECORATION: Hand-painted floral sprays —
stylized blossoms and leaves in rust-brown and dark iron pigments,
applied with confident gestural brushwork
- FLARED MOUTH: Sculpturally pinched and flared spout — characteristic
of Japanese sake bottle (tokkuri) heritage adapted to vase form
- CRACKLE GLAZE: Fine network of crackle (kannyu) develops naturally
in the clear overglaze
- UNGLAZED FOOT: Exposed stoneware foot ring shows the natural buff
clay body, a hallmark of authentic studio ware

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✦ DIMENSIONS ✦

- Height: approximately 12" (30.5 cm)
- Body width: approximately 4" (10 cm) at widest
- Foot diameter: approximately 3" (7.5 cm)
- Mouth opening: approximately 1" (2.5 cm) interior
- Weight: approximately 2 lb 7 oz (1.1 kg)

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✦ CONDITION ✦

Excellent vintage condition with beautiful aging:

- No chips, cracks, or repairs
- Original "JAPAN" foil sticker remarkably intact (often the first
thing to be removed or worn off — its preservation is a rare detail)
- Natural fine crackle pattern in the glaze (kannyu) consistent with
age — this is desirable in Japanese studio ware, not damage
- Some light age-toning to the unglazed foot rim
- Painted decoration crisp and well-preserved
- From a smoke-free home

A lovely well-preserved example of mid-century Japanese studio
pottery, ready to be used as an ikebana vessel, decorative vase, or
collected as a signed piece of Showa-era studio ceramics.

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✦ ABOUT HAKEME & MINO-STYLE POTTERY ✦

Hakeme (刷毛目, "brush marks") is one of the most beloved Japanese
slip-decoration techniques, originating in 16th-century Korean
buncheong ware and adopted into Japanese studio pottery through the
tea ceremony tradition. The technique creates a textured, painterly
surface that has been prized for centuries by tea masters and
ikebana practitioners for its quiet, rustic beauty (wabi-sabi
aesthetic).

Combined with iron-oxide underglaze brushwork — another technique
inherited from the Momoyama-era Mino kilns — this vase represents a
direct continuation of one of Japan's most refined ceramic
traditions.

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✦ PERFECT FOR ✦

- Ikebana / Japanese flower arranging
- Single-stem display (cherry blossom, plum branch, eucalyptus)
- Wabi-sabi and Japandi interior styling
- Tea ceremony adjacent décor
- Vintage Japanese studio pottery collectors
- Mid-century modern + Asian fusion homes

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✦ SHIPPING & HANDLING ✦

- Carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and packed in a sturdy box with
ample cushioning
- Shipped via USPS Priority Mail with tracking and insurance
- Processing time: 3–5 business days
- International shipping available — please contact for a quote
- Sold as-is from a smoke-free home

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✦ FROM THE SAME ESTATE ✦

Other pieces from this scholar's estate are available in our shop,
including a pair of vintage Japanese Kamakura-bori carved wood
plaques signed by Harada Sōzan, a 1915 Frank Brangwyn WWI poster,
and a vintage MM Kane beaded evening clutch. Please follow SWCurated
for ongoing releases from "The Scholar's Estate Collection."

✦ Thank you for visiting SWCurated — where each piece carries its story. ✦