An antique Japanese Sumida Gawa drip pottery vase. Meiji period, 1868 to 1912. Tall four-sided shape, white vase with cracked glaze. Two of the sides are garnished with an applied relief medallion depicting two elders and a servant. The other two sides are decorated with a mountain landscape medallion. The vase is mounted on a footed gilt bronze stand. Sumida pottery was created on the banks of Sumida river near Tokyo specifically for export between the late 1800s and the 1920s. It is usually heavy and covered with figures in relief. The style of applied figures on a surface with flowing glaze was invented about 1890 by the Seto potter Ryosai I, who worked in Tokyo from about 1875 to 1900. Sumida Gawa pieces were among the most appreciated oriental decor items during the Art Deco period in the Western world. Collectible Sumida Gawa Pottery, Oriental Asian Decor For Interior Design.