WWII Imperial Japanese Navy Fukagawa Vase Royal Crest Anchor Plum Prewar
This is a prewar Japanese porcelain vase made by Fukagawa Seiji, closely associated with the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Imperial Household. The front is decorated in underglaze blue with a large Imperial Japanese Navy anchor, plum blossoms, and above them the royal crest of the Takamatsu-no-miya branch of the Imperial Family. The Takamatsu-no-miya family was one of the branches of Japan’s Imperial Household, and Prince Takamatsu himself served as an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Rather than going too deeply into his personal history, the important point here is the unusual combination of an Imperial-family crest and a naval anchor on the same piece. The maker is also highly significant. Fukagawa Seiji, founded in 1894 in Arita, became one of Japan’s most prestigious porcelain manufacturers. It won a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition and later became an official supplier to the Imperial Household. The underside of this vase bears the Fukagawa Seiji maker’s mark. Fukagawa also had a documented connection with the Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1916, the company became a designated Navy factory and supplied tableware for naval officers. In 1942, it was further designated as a Navy-supervised factory, producing and supplying specialized tableware and military-use ceramics. This makes Fukagawa more than simply a famous porcelain maker: during the prewar and wartime period, it had an official manufacturing relationship with the Imperial Japanese Navy. No original box or supporting provenance documents are included with this piece, but the combination of: Imperial-family crest Imperial Japanese Navy anchor Fukagawa Seiji maker’s mark makes it a particularly interesting example of Japanese military and Imperial-era porcelain. I have not found evidence that Fukagawa continued as an official designated supplier to Japan’s postwar Self-Defense Forces. Its strongest documented military connection belongs to the era of the Imperial Japanese Navy. A small porcelain vase, but one that brings together three powerful elements of prewar Japan: the Imperial Household, the Navy, and one of Japan’s most prestigious porcelain makers. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.