Japanese Moriage Satsuma Inkwell

Moriage is a Japanese technique of adding clay to create raised patterns on pottery. Specifically, moriage describes a time-consuming technique of applying layers of enamel on top of each other to build up a three-dimensional effect on ceramics. The technique was used to add floral or geometric patterns to the surface of the piece, and porcelain decorated pieces are more desirable because of the greater detail in the artwork.

This hand painted inkwell with a Japanese mark reflects the intricate layering process of moriage. (Note: the term “moriage” comes from the Japanese word “moru”, which means “to heap up”. Layers are built up slowly as the piece is made, fired during each layer and then more raised areas are added before the piece is finished.