Set of twelve dishes with poems and erotic or fantastical scenes, Japan, Shōwa 16 (1941)

Rare service of twelve small rectangular dishes in fine stoneware with a beige slip. Each is decorated on one side with a poem calligraphed in kanbun and signed 亂山書 (Ranzan sho), and on the other with a painted scene: erotic silhouettes, yōkai or ghosts partly concealed behind a screen or paper partition.

These dishes belong to the tradition of en-zara or haikai-zara, literati games in which poetry, humour and sensuality combine in a double language. The refined calligraphy and discreet compositions suggest the work of a literatus, probably associated with a Kyoto poetry circle. The original receipt, dated October 1941 (Shōwa 16), mentions the Kamanza district, formerly a centre for workshops connected with the arts of tea.

Composed in classical Chinese, the poems form a complete cycle of the twelve months. Each text evokes the corresponding season—spring flowers, summer rain, the autumn moon or winter cold—while introducing a Zen reflection on time, desire and impermanence. The pictorial reverse offers a sensual or fantastical counterpart: the human being confronted with passions, fears or dreams.

Through their refinement and subtle tone, these dishes form an exceptional example of literati ceramics from the first half of the twentieth century, uniting the spirit of haikai and chanoyu with the irreverence of concealed pleasures.

Japan, Kyoto, probably Gojō-zaka.

Dated October 1941 (Shōwa 16).

Signature: 亂山書 (Ranzan sho).

Fine glazed stoneware, beige slip and painted underglaze decoration.

Dimensions: approx. 10.5 × 8 cm.

Complete set of twelve, accompanied by its original dated and stamped sheet and its tomobako. One dish has a restored rim.