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Vintage Japanese Blue-and-White Seigaiha Kozara — 4.5″ Small Plate with Imari Bird-and-Blossom Medallion

$24.00 Only one available

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20th Century Porcelain / Ceramic Very Good
HDRH-VR-0028
Rolling cobalt waves ring the whole rim — the Japanese seigaiha pattern, those overlapping arcs that stand for calm seas and waves of good fortune rolling in one after another. At the center, a little garden window opens up: orange-red blossoms, green leaves, and a slender long-tailed bird perched on a flowering branch above blue rockwork. At 4.5 inches, this porcelain kozara is the kind of small plate that earns its keep — on a stand, under a teabag, or holding your rings by the sink.
  • 4.5" diameter small plate (kozara)
  • Japanese blue-and-white porcelain, glossy glaze, bright cobalt
  • Seigaiha (blue-wave) ground with a polychrome Imari-style floral-and-bird medallion
  • Scalloped, foliate rim
  • Hand-brushed base kiln mark reading 峰山窯 ("Peak Mountain Kiln"), with a small painter's tally beside it
  • From a Woodbridge, Virginia estate
Condition: Very Good vintage condition — clean and bright, crisp cobalt on a glossy white ground, with only light iron speckling and a few faint age flecks true to its years. No chips, no cracks, no hairlines, no repairs. A lovely, display-ready little plate.
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Vintage Japanese Blue-and-White Seigaiha Kozara — 4.5" Small Plate with Imari Bird-and-Blossom Medallion

20th Century

Japanese Blue & White Porcelain (Seigaiha / Imari-Style)

The whole rim and well are covered in seigaiha (青海波, "blue sea and waves") — dense overlapping cobalt arcs, printed in underglaze blue, that read like fish scales or rolling surf. One of the oldest motifs in Japanese design, it carries a hopeful meaning: tranquil seas, resilience, and waves of good fortune arriving one after another. At the center a round reserve opens onto full color in the Imari tradition: orange-red and yellow blossoms, green leaves, a slender long-tailed blue bird in a flowering branch, and blue rockwork below — a little garden window framed by the sea.

The base carries a genuinely hand-brushed kiln seal reading 峰山窯 — literally "Peak Mountain Kiln" (Hōzan-gama) — with a small hand-written painter's tally beside it. The mark is legible and confident, though it does not tie to a single documented pottery, so we let it speak for itself as an honest workshop signature. This small plate came out of an estate in Woodbridge, Virginia: a Japanese blue-and-white piece that crossed an ocean and spent years on an American shelf, still carrying its waves of good fortune.

Materials White porcelain with a glossy glaze; underglaze cobalt seigaiha ground and a transfer-printed polychrome Imari-style medallion warmed with light hand-touched enamel.
Care Hand-wash with mild soap and a soft cloth; avoid abrasive scrubbers, sudden temperature changes, and the dishwasher. The printed medallion and enamel prefer gentle handling. Display away from prolonged direct sun.
From the Research Archives
vintagerose.us Catalog No. HDRH-VR-0028 • July 2026

Specifications

Dimensions
6 × 6 × 4 in
Weight
2 lbs
SKU
HDRH-VR-0028
Start at the edge and work your way in. The rim and well are covered in seigaiha (青海波, "blue sea and waves") — dense, overlapping cobalt arcs, printed in underglaze blue, that read like fish scales or rolling surf depending on how the light catches them. It's one of the oldest motifs in Japanese design, and a hopeful one: tranquil seas, resilience, and waves of good fortune arriving one after another. There are worse things to keep on a shelf. At the center, the waves part around a round reserve, and the palette jumps to full color in the Imari tradition — orange-red and yellow blossoms, green leaves, a slim long-tailed blue bird tucked into a flowering branch, blue rockwork below. It's a garden window framed by the sea. The decoration is crisply rendered and transfer-printed, with light hand-touched enamel warming the color, the way a great many fine Arita-style pieces were finished. Turn it over and you'll find the genuinely hand-brushed part: a kiln mark reading 峰山窯 — "Peak Mountain Kiln" — with a small painter's tally beside it. The mark is legible and confident, though it isn't tied to one documented pottery, so we'll let it speak for itself. This one came out of a Woodbridge, Virginia estate, which is its own quiet pleasure — a Japanese blue-and-white plate that crossed an ocean and spent years on an American shelf, still carrying its waves of good fortune. At 4.5 inches it's endlessly useful: prop it on a stand, set it under a teabag, park it by the sink for rings and keys, or give a single sweet somewhere nice to land.
  • 4.5" diameter small plate (kozara)
  • Japanese blue-and-white porcelain, glossy glaze, bright cobalt
  • Seigaiha (blue-wave) ground with a polychrome Imari-style floral-and-bird medallion
  • Scalloped, foliate rim
  • Hand-brushed base kiln mark reading 峰山窯 ("Peak Mountain Kiln"), with a small painter's tally beside it
  • From a Woodbridge, Virginia estate
Condition: Very Good vintage condition — clean and bright, crisp cobalt on a glossy white ground, with only light iron speckling and a few faint age flecks true to its years, plus minor tan speckling on the foot ring underneath. No chips, no cracks, no hairlines, no repairs. A lovely, display-ready little plate.

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