Vintage · Made in Japan · one of one
Crackle glaze · plum blossom · wooden box · 15 cm
Plum Blossom Vase and Ashtray, a Boxed Reception Set
A boxed reception set: a rounded vase and a low, round ashtray, both in a cream crackle glaze painted with branches of plum blossom in red, white and gold. They come in a wooden box inscribed 応接揃, a matched set for the reception room.
$170 Free shipping to 32 countries
Order by December 8 to make sure it arrives before Christmas.
We ship to mainland China: free, tracked. Import duties, if any, are paid on delivery. Where we ship
A gift for a new home · a collector
Leaves Fukuoka within three business days by EMS, with tracking.
Condition report
- Condition
- vintage, unused
Want a closer look at a mark or an edge? Ask for more photographs.
The story: Arita wareRead the story →What buyers say · ★★★★★ on Etsy
“Received updates regarding the item I purchased and when it arrived could tell that it was packed with care; my fragile ceramic bunny arrived in perfect condition! A wonderful purchase and I would buy from this shop again”
Jessica · United States
1 more from buyers
“Item was as described and in photos shown. Excellent quality. Seller very knowledgable and took the time to explain everything”
Tiang N. · Australia
- Made in Japan. Made in Japan, found in Japan, and sent to you from Fukuoka.
- One of one. This exact piece, photographed in our studio in Fukuoka.
- Returns within 14 days of delivery. Not right? Send it back as it came and we refund the full price, return postage included.
- Packed safely, sent by EMS within three business days, fully insured, with tracking.
Duties, checkout and extras
- ★ 5.0 on Etsy · Star Seller. Read the reviews ↗
- Import tax. It depends on your country; if any is due, it is collected on delivery.
- US import duties. Already included in the price: nothing to pay at your door.
- Secure checkout by Stripe — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay. No account needed.
- Two pieces, one parcel. Each extra piece in the same order is $15 off at checkout.
- Orders of $200 or more travel with a gift to keep: Japanese chopsticks with a rest in a paulownia box, or a Nara kaya-cloth handkerchief.
The story
A thousand years ago, the plum tree in front of the Emperor's palace in Kyoto died. Emperor Murakami's men found a replacement in the garden of a private house and dug it up. Tied to a branch was a poem from the woman who lived there, the daughter of a famous poet. Since it is the Emperor's command, she wrote, I cannot refuse. But when the bush warbler comes back and asks where its home has gone, what shall I tell it?
The Emperor read it, was ashamed, and sent the tree back.
The craft
Ceramic with a crackle glaze, a net of fine lines in the surface. The plum blossom is painted on, and the same pattern runs across both pieces. Ōsetsu means reception: sets like this were made for the room where a family received its guests.
Living with it
A single stem in the vase, or a short branch in bud. The ashtray works as a dish for rings or keys. If you have ever stood up for something small that mattered to you, the woman in the story is on your side.
• Ceramic, cream crackle glaze, painted plum blossom • With wooden box inscribed 応接揃
How it travels
Packed safely, insured in full
Every piece is packed by hand in Fukuoka, in its wooden box, inside a sturdy 3 mm corrugated carton, cushioned all round with air pillows so it cannot move. It travels with tracking all the way to your door: by EMS, insured for its full value, on orders of $100 or more, and by tracked airmail below that.
More Arita ware on the shelf · 4 →
A question about this piece — size, marks, condition? Ask the house, we answer within a day.