SIGNED SATSUMA-YAKI AND SHIMAZU MON, MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)

Dezome-shiki is a traditional annual ceremony performed by the fire brigade in the first week of January to wish safety and progress in work for the forthcoming year. It began in 1659, two years after the great fire of Meireki which destroyed sixty percent of Edo. This vase depicts the highlight of the event, scaling a ladder, which requires both physical ability and bravery.