Sometsuke Santamon Rinka-bachi (Underglaze Blue Lobed Bowl with Three Abundances Motif) by Itō Hyōdō - Ceramic - Itō Hyōdō / 伊藤瓢堂 (1951 — 2024) - Japan - Heisei period (1989-present)

A luminous white porcelain bowl where delicate blue brushwork and lobed curves evoke a quiet sense of abundance and grace.

Description:
This bowl presents a shallow, wide form with gently lobed walls that create a soft, flower-like silhouette. The rim undulates in subtle curves, lending an organic rhythm to the vessel. The overall shape is open and inviting, with low sides that curve gracefully toward a flat base.
The exterior is painted in underglaze iron-brown with softly rendered floral and fruit motifs, their pale celadon tones and brown accents creating a muted, understated quality against the white porcelain ground. The interior displays more vivid underglaze blue decoration featuring the "Santamon" or Three Abundances design: a pomegranate rendered with dotted seeds, a peach with curving leaves, and a Buddha's hand citron, each depicted with confident brushstrokes. The cobalt blue is deep and rich, contrasting beautifully with the clear, glossy glaze.
The base is unglazed at the foot ring, revealing a pale, sandy body with a faint orange blush at the edge. A seal impression and painted signature reading "Hyōdō" are visible at the center of the base. Concentric wheel marks are visible on the recessed foot.

About Sometsuke technique:
Sometsuke, or underglaze blue, is a traditional Japanese porcelain decoration technique where cobalt oxide is painted onto the surface before glazing and firing. This method produces vivid blue designs beneath a clear glaze, resulting in a smooth, durable finish. Popular since the 17th century, sometsuke is highly valued for its elegance, precision, and timeless aesthetic in both functional ware and collectible art pieces.

Cultural & Art Context:
The "Santamon" (Three Abundances) motif—featuring peach, pomegranate, and Buddha's hand citron—is an auspicious design with roots in Chinese tradition, symbolizing longevity, fertility, and good fortune. This bowl represents the revived Kaminohata-yaki tradition of Yamagata Prefecture, a porcelain ware that flourished briefly during the late Edo period before being lost and subsequently restored in the late twentieth century.

Collector Appeal:
Works from regional Japanese kilns dedicated to reviving historical traditions are increasingly sought by collectors interested in the intersection of heritage and contemporary craft. This piece, complete with its original signed wooden box and artist pamphlet, offers an appealing example of modern Japanese porcelain rooted in auspicious symbolism.

Artist Profile:
Itō Hyōdō (real name Takehiko) was born in 1951 in Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. After graduating from Dokkyo University's French language department, he devoted himself to researching and reviving the lost Kaminohata-yaki porcelain tradition, a ware that had existed for only about ten years during the Tenpō era (1830s–1840s) before disappearing due to the domain's financial difficulties. In 1980, he successfully revived the kiln in his hometown of Obanazawa and established the Kaminohata-yaki Ceramics Center (Tōu-Tozan-gama). He held solo exhibitions in France (1995), Spain and Portugal (1996), and regularly exhibited in Yamagata, Niigata, and Miyagi prefectures. He passed away in July 2024 at the age of 72.