Sake Bottle with Design of a Chinese-style Boat in a Landscape

This bottle was used for serving sake. The scene on the bottle is inspired by Chinese landscapes and reflected a growing fashion for Chinese art and culture all over Japan, even in Kyoto, the ancient aristocratic capital where arts in native, courtly styles thrived. Nine generations of potters active from 1673 to the third quarter of the 19th century went by the name Taizan Yōhei. They were famous for their overglaze blue designs of scrolling vines and flowers like those seen on this piece.