This elegant 'kettle' (the description given at the time of acquisiton) is probably a sake flask and is one of the earliest documented examples of cloisonné to be found in any Western collection. It was bought at the Paris International Exposition of 1867 for the not insignificant sum of £24.00 from 'the Tycoon's Government'. This was the name given to Tokugawa military shogunate in its final days of power.

It dates from around 1860; the wirework and enamelling are clearly of the finest quality and compare very favourably with other cloisonné objects of the period. The dull blue enamel ground has a large number of fine brass (or gilt) wires delineating a design of scrolling ‘karakusa’ (Chinese grass), together with geometric patterns, Seven Lucky Treasures (Japanese: ‘shippo’) and floral motifs in a limited range of polychrome enamels. The handle is of silver, or perhaps of silvered copper.

We do not know who made this piece but it is most likely to have been produced in Nagoya, possibly by Kaji Tsunekichi who was responsible for the renaissance of Japanese cloisonné enamels around 1840. The type, style and application of the enamels here have many similar features to another early cloisonné vessel in the V&A’s collections (Museum no. 895-1869). It too was purchased at the Paris International Exposition of 1867.