Satsuma vase signed

Can anyone identify this vase, I have been through a list of satsuma marks and found nothing

 

The mark needs to be rotated 90 clockwise. These marks can be very difficult to read as they were often scrawled by workers who were illiterate at high speed (piece work). The vase is a late version of Satsuma Moriage, probably just prior to WW2, the last character (of the three) appears to be (Azuma) 'East', often found as part of a Tokyo mark (but doesn't look the case here)

 

I don't see any "moriage" there.

 

Some of the dots and the lining look like raised slip, and it is trying to be moriage. Very late ones tend to look like this.

 

I always date these to pre 1920

 

Yes, that's a very common position. The reason I think these are later is due to the changes in the Japanese economy. Around 1890 it is accepted quality of Satsuma (and Kutani) dropped due the the worsening economic situation in Japan with the wars and expansionism and loss of interest from the Western markets - this is written about by a number of sources. During WW1 there was further sharp drop in exports to Europe and this I suspect leads to another drop in quality, there seems to be another step change with these very loosely painted forms and the brown bodied slip tubelined examples with soft gold appearing. There seems to be very little scholarly work (in English) that I can find for this period, but I do keep trying to find some detail.

 

These aren't really "Satsuma" per se, just Japanese earthenwares sold at a price point to the GP through mass marketing outlets, i.e. lower end dept. stores.
I actually date them to the pre WW1 era, as the upper middle classes were finally tiring of the 19thc fashion for fine Satsuma wares and the style was "kicked downhill" to the less well-off up and comers.

Fine satsuma continued to be produced for a now smaller but discerning market segment that continued into the 1920's and beyond. I believe WW1 ended the demand and fashion for these lower end lookalikes so doubt any were produced post 1920 or so.

 

Yes, as I mentioned that's not unreasonable and there was definitely a loss of interest and market, but I doubt it fully stopped, things never seem to be black and white. Also there are pieces of Seto and Nagoya that are known to have been produced in the late 1920's and these also see a similar drop in quality.

They are still grouped with the Satsuma ware due to the Kyoto clay, but there is definitely a blurring at the margins with Banko ware.

 

thanks for the informative discussion, if you're both interested I could advertise it on ebay if you'd like to fill a gap in your collection maybe, sounds like it has some rarity though its not my favorite, i personally don't like the rope pieces on the side if that's what they are and it looks a bit too sloppy in places in my opinion