This large and vividly colored Kutani porcelain charger dates to the late Edo or early Meiji period and reflects the bold enamel palette associated with the Saikō Kutani, or “Revival Kutani,” tradition inspired by the Yoshidaya kiln founded by Yoshida Den’uemon (1752–1827). The dish has a broad, shallow form with gently rising sides and a subtly barbed rim that adds a rhythmic contour to the circular shape.
The surface is richly decorated in the dense ornamental manner characteristic of this tradition. A striking yellow border encircles the dish, its ground densely stippled and animated by a continuous vine of deep green leaves with scalloped edges. Small blue blossoms and elongated purple forms resembling stylized gourds are interspersed throughout the design.
Within this border runs a narrow white band with softly lobed edges that echo the outline of the rim and frame the central medallion. The center, painted in dark green with a repeating key-fret pattern, is filled with bold floral motifs. A large purple blossom reminiscent of hydrangea dominates the composition, accompanied by a smaller blue flower, while curling yellow leaves outlined in black enliven the surface with rhythmic movement.
The underside is glazed in mottled green, with subtle foliage motifs appearing within the glaze. The dish rests on a neatly finished foot ring enclosing a circular yellow panel decorated with strong black line drawings of stylized leaves and tendrils.
At the center of the base appears a square fuku mark (福), meaning “good fortune” or “happiness.” Written in black within a green square set inside a larger white reserve, the mark functions as an auspicious symbol commonly found on Ko-Kutani and later revival Kutani wares.
In the late Edo period, Yoshida Den’uemon sought to revive the celebrated Ko-Kutani porcelains of the seventeenth century, admired for their bold use of richly colored overglaze enamels. Although production had ceased by the early eighteenth century, their reputation endured.
The Yoshidaya kiln drew inspiration from this earlier tradition, adopting its vibrant palette and dense decoration while developing new motifs and compositions that distinguished the revival wares from their predecessors.
Although the Yoshidaya kiln closed in 1831, its influence continued through other Kutani workshops, including Miyamotoya and Eiraku, which carried forward the vibrant enamel style now broadly known as Saikō Kutani, or Revival Kutani.
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