The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Teapot with Cherry at Night in Gion

1893–1914

Seifū Yohei III

(Japanese, 1851–1914)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Porcelain with underglaze blue and iron oxide
Diameter: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.); width with handle: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.)
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.165.a
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This teapot features the Japanese theme of a blossoming cherry tree in the Gion area of Kyoto in underglaze blue and brown.

Description

This side-handled sencha teapot with the cherry tree has a nearly spherical shape, and its recessed lid has an ovoid knob. It has both blue and a purplish brown under the glaze for the blossoms and embers on one side, and the vertical calligraphy identifies the tree as a cherry tree at night in the Gion area of Kyoto. To the right of the tree, smoke billows from a small lantern fire in a basket suspended on a post.

In terms of collecting history, a paper inserted into the box of Teapot with Cherry at Night in Gion is of interest. It is a flyer for Yamamoto Shōseidō, a shop (no longer extant) that sold fine Kyoto ceramics in Osaka.
  • ?–2022
    James and Christine Heusinger, Berea, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2022–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Maezaki, Shinya and Sinéad Vilbar. Colors of Kyoto: The Seifū Yohei Ceramic Studio. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 21, pp. 94–96
  • {{cite web|title=Teapot with Cherry at Night in Gion|url=false|author=Seifū Yohei III|year=1893–1914|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.165.a