I know I have written about selective perception here before, but I had a major case of it just a few days ago at the Kawagoe shrine sale. In 8+ years here in Tokyo I have only see a few handfuls of ami or fish pattern pieces that I wrote about the other day, but somehow everywhere I turned last Wednesday I came across another one. These small inban (Japanese transferware) dishes had an intricate and very finely patterned net, complete with cute fish swimming around.
This lacquer tray had cranes flying by, probably looking for fish to eat.
And I found a few small dishes like this one with beautiful hand painted nets.
Coincidence? Fate? Luck? Or just selective perception?
Related Post:
Caught in a Net…Ami Pattern on Porcelain and More
Selective Perception…Maekake at the Heiwajima Antiques Fair and Kawagoe Shrine Sale
I`ve been looking for fish on plates the entire time we`ve been here! And DAMN- I missed Kawagoe again!!!
I would have snatched up all those items you photographed as I love them all. Thank you for your information about the Ami pattern.
It’s amazing that you mention selective perception because I have had this experience so many times that I must admit that it is hard to resist the magical thinking that if I have an interesting find in mind “it will appear.” It was so nice meeting you at Tomioka Hachimangu last month and I had a great first visit to Takahata Fudo (a lively market and photo ops to boot with fall colors and Shichi-Go-Sanso bonus). Thanks again for the information. I am so glad to have found your blog which is chock full of familiar cultural and design touchstones that at times I’ve wondered if finding so many areas of shared interest isn’t a matter of my selective perception. Wish I was back in Tokyo but I’ll have to wait until the spring. Happy Holidays.