Yabu Meizan

[5][2] Wares were brought from the kiln of Chin Jukan in Satsuma Province to Osaka to be decorated.

[6] The American art museum founder Charles Parsons recounts a visit to Meizan's workshop in his book Notes of a Trip around the World in 1894 and 1895.

[8] Japanese art was also falling out of favour with American and European buyers, who gradually turned to China.

[6] His decorations used Chinese and Buddhist subjects until the 1890s, when he adopted more Japanese symbolism, such as fishermen or fighting samurai.

A single work might depict thousands or flowers or butterflies, or hundreds of people in a procession.

[9] This new artistic direction, which may have been inspired by critics' opinions, was a commercial failure at the time; buyers much preferred the crowded style.

[8] From 1885 to 1916, Meizan displayed his art works at a number of national exhibitions and world's fairs, winning multiple medals.