EACH MARKED DAI NIHON KAKO ZO [MADE BY KAKO OF GREAT JAPAN], EARLY MEIJI PERIOD (CIRCA 1870-5)

The unusual style of the marks on these delicately-decorated vases suggests that they are probably among the early productions of the great Meiji-era metalworker Suzuki Chokichi (1848-1919), whose art-name was Kako. They were apparently made after the widespread adoption of the nationalistic Dai Nihon [Great Japan], often seen in early Meiji signatures, but before the development of the full-blown, heavily- encrusted metalwork style encouraged by the Kiryu Kosho Kaisha (see lot 141).