Blue and white porcelain with Japanese shapes and Japanese patterns. Made at the Jingdezhen kilns to the special order of Japanese tea masters. Unlike the coarse Ko-sometsuke wares, however, Shonsui vessels are beautifully potted and well painted in a good violet blue; in fact, in quality they compare quite favorably with "Transitional" wares.
In the Shonsui style of decoration, the pendulum of taste has completely swung away from the Ko-sometsuke casualness, and the effect is now quite studied; the many decorative elements have been drawn with great attention to detail. Shonsui wares are rare in the West.
There is some disagreement regarding the origin of the name Shonsui. There also is some disagreement about dating these porcelains; however, many authorities feel that they were all manufactured during the reign of the Chongzhen emperor (1628-44).
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