Sanpo Kiln Large Vase, Black Glaze with Gold and Colored Bird-and-Flower and Autumn Grasses Design

This large vintage Japanese vase uses a deep black glaze as its base, with gold and multicolored bird-and-flower motifs forming the main scene. Unlike the fresh, bright elegance of typical white-porcelain vases, the black glaze gives the whole piece a more mature, composed character, while also making the gold and floral colors stand out with particular vividness. The body depicts a variety of autumn grasses and flowers—chrysanthemums, slender grass leaves, and assorted wildflowers rise in layers from the lower part of the vessel upward, with yellow, orange-red, white, green, and blue-violet scattered among them; above, birds in flight can be seen weaving between the flowers and grasses, forming a very characteristic Japanese bird-and-flower and autumn-grasses design. The most beautiful aspect is that the composition does not completely fill the entire vase. The craftsman deliberately left large areas of black glaze, concentrating the intricate flowers and grasses on the lower half of the body, then using the flying birds to draw the eye upward. This "reserved black" means that even with the extensive use of gold and colored painting, the piece never appears gaudy—instead it gains a deep, serene quality like a garden at night.

Price NT$ 2,000 ≈ US$ 61(Approximate amount; actual prices are in New Taiwan Dollars)

Dimensions: H 31 cm
Category: Vintage Vases

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Features

① Black glaze × gold decoration — restrained yet opulent

The black body alone commands a strong presence in a room, with flowers, grasses, birds in flight and the rim outlined in gold. Under light, the gold shifts subtly with the viewing angle, making this piece ideal as the focal point of an interior vignette.

② A Japanese "autumn grasses" theme, rich in seasonal feeling

Rather than a single flower, the composition interweaves many grasses and blossoms into a natural scene. Chrysanthemum and autumn-grass motifs in particular are often used in traditional Japanese crafts to express the turning of the seasons and the beauty of nature, so this is not merely a flower vessel — it is a complete decorative picture in itself.

③ Flowers and birds together, giving the scene movement

Besides the plants, birds in flight appear on the body. They sweep above the flowers and grasses, lending motion to an otherwise static floral composition and offering different details from every angle.

④ A richly detailed decorative band at the mouth

The neck and the area just below the mouth carry a lavish band of gold geometric and floral patterns, contrasting with the broad expanse of black glaze below. This is one of the loveliest details when the piece is viewed up close.

⑤ A large 31.5 cm body with real presence, even displayed on its own

Standing 31.5 cm tall, it has far more presence than an ordinary small tabletop flower vessel. Even with no flowers at all, it stands complete simply as a ceramic display piece.

⑥ Japanese mark retained on the base

A gold square mark can be seen on the base, with a clear JAPAN inscription below it.

Specifications

Dimensions	H 31 cm