TOKUDA YASOKICHI III: A FINE KUTANI GLAZED PORCELAIN VASE By Tokuda Yasokichi III (1933-2009), signed Kutani Masahiko Japan, 20th century The ovoid body supported on a short, tapered foot and rising to a short waisted neck with a lipped rim, the exterior covered in a rich, lustrous blue-green streaked glaze transforming to deep purple along the rim and lower body, attractively pooling to the interior below the mouth, the base left unglazed and signed KUTANI MASAHIKO. HEIGHT 29.5 cm Condition: Excellent condition. Tokuda Yasokichi III was designated a Bearer of Important Intangible Cultural Assets (a "Living National Treasure") in 1997 for his mastery of the innovative saiyu glaze technique, based on traditional Kutani colored glaze enamels as handed down from his grandfather and father, Tokuda Yasokichi I (1873–1956) and Tokuda Yasokichi II (1907–1997). Before he succeeded his father in 1988 as Tokuda Yasokichi III, the artist was known as Tokuda Masahiko. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related vase by the same artist, 29.5 cm high, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 27 May 2022, Vienna, lot 75 (sold for EUR 5,688).