The plate, made at the traditional ceramic centre of Seto, is an excellent example of the functional, unsophisticated, regional folk craft advocated by Hamada and Kawai. Described in Japanese as a 'stone plate' ('ishizara') it was used for food. This particular design, known as 'horse-eye' ('umanome'), was common on plates used at inns along the Tokaido Highway between Kyoto and Tokyo in the late Edo and Meiji periods. The slightly battered appearance of the plate is standard for this type of well-used pottery.

Asian Art Department, AGNSW, June 2005.