This elongated ovoid vase tapers to the foot and finishes in a square, slightly everted mouth. Around the body villagers gather shells at low tide, while fishing boats and mountains fill the distance. The shoulder is decorated with a lobed collar of chrysanthemum scroll beneath a band of coiling vines. At the foot, lappet reserves moulded in relief are painted with blossoms.
The catalogue records that the vase was purchased from Grover Antiques in 1962, giving it a documented history in a single collection of more than half a century. It realised US$56,325 in 2019. It is signed on the underside in gilt ‘Yabu Meizan’. Offered at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, New York, on 20 March 2019, lot 338. It realised US$56,325 including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of US$12,000–US$18,000.