A very rare Ming Dynasty ko-sometsuke kōgō (incense container box and cover) in the form of a byōbu-bako (Japanese folding screen box) painted in rich tones of underglaze cobalt blue, the cover featuring a waterscape scene with a solitary scholar on a rocky shore by a bamboo hut
 
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Tianqi period (1621-1627)/Chongzhen period (1627-1644)
Ko-sometsuke (Old Blue-and-White) made for Japan
 
Measurements 
5.7 cm high (inches);  5.5 cm long ( inches) ; 3.7 cm wide (inches)
 
Description
A Chinese porcelain blue and white ko-sometsuke incense container and cover in the form of a byōbu-bako 屏風箱  (Japanese folding screen box) painted in rich tones of underglaze cobalt blue, the cover featuring a waterscape scene with a solitary scholar on a rocky shore by a bamboo hut, each short side decorated with a large flowering hibiscus. One long side of the box painted in Seigaiha pattern (a traditional Japanese auspcious omens motif of 'Blue sea and waves' in which the waves are lapped over alternately). The other long side decorated in a diamond lattice pattern.
 
A similarly-shaped folding-screen box incense container was highly ranked in the Katamono-Kogo Banzuke (incense container ranking list published in 1855 - see details below).
 
The “Katamono Kogo sumo banzuke” published in 1855 was a ranking list produced by tea ceremony Masters, merchants, and connoisseurs from Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kanazawa. This chart, which rated legendary Kogo (small lidded containers for incense used in tea ceremonies) was the result of a friendly competitive vote amongst connoisseurs. Many of the Kogo on the list were produced in China for export to Japan and are considered today to be amongst the greatest treasures of tea ceremony implements.
 
Ko-Sometsuke, meaning "Old Blue and White" is the term used to describe Chinese blue and white porcelain made for the Japanese market during the late Ming Dynasty. Ko-sometsuke wares were produced from the Wanli period (1573-1620) to the Chongzhen period (1628-1644), with the main period of production being the Tianqi period (1621-27). The objects produced were made specifically for the Japanese market, with the shapes and the designs being tailored to the Japanese taste. The shapes created were often expressly made for the Japanese Kaiseki (Tea Ceremony meal) and included mukozuke (small food dishes), kōro (incense burners), and kōgō (small incense containers).
 
With a traditional Japanese storage box, inner cloths and ribbon.
 
Condition
In excellent original condition with no cracks or restoration.