Fukagawa Punch Bowl on Stand, Japan, C. 1890Imari is the name applied to most of the Japanese porcelains shipped from the port of Arita, Japan, from the 17th century onward. The three colored ware, featuring underglaze blue decorations with thick rusty-red enamels and gilding was greatly admired by the European and American markets. By the end of the 17th century, China was exporting large quantities of porcelain to Europe, but with the discovery of kaolin (white clay used in porcelain) in 1613 near Arita, the Japanese porcelain production in the Chinese style was soon created. In 1644, the Ming Dynasty ended when the Qing Dynasty began. As a result of the ensuiung turmoil, Chinese exports fell just as the Japanese production increased and for the next century or so, massive quantities of Japanese wares were shipped to Europe.By the end of the 18th century, China again begin shipping porcelain to Europe at much lower prices than the Japanese could offer, so the Japanese export market collapsed. Sound familiar?After Commodore Perry's visit to Japan in 1853 (where trade pacts were forcefully demanded and received from the Japanese), the international intrigue with Japanese art and exports grew rapidly and demand was met with mostly poor quality porcelains.In an effort to restore Japanese ceramics to their higher form of earlier years,Ezaiemon Fukugawa, the head of the Fukagawa family that had been producing ceramics since the 17th century, opened the Koransha (Scented Orphid) factory in 1875. In 1894, his second son, Churi Fukagawa opened the Fukagawa Porcelain Factory. His first prize at the Paris International Exposition in 1900 was instrumental in establishing his company as the leading mass producer of high quality Japanese porcelain in the Imari style.This massive 32-lobed Fukagawa Punch Bowl on a stand in typical Imari colors features an elaborate Hou-ou bird on both the interior and exterior of the bowl. The scalloped rim separates repeating geometric designs and floral patterns every eight panels. The panels are broken up with scattered roundels of landscapes, florals, and mon (family crests), resting on a custom three footed stand with three cartouche of ShiShi (temple lion dogs) against a red ground of detailed vines and flowers. This punchbowl matches a pattern dated 1893 by Chuji Fukagawa and the markings are consistent with the period 1890 - 1900. 14.75 x 10.5 inches