Have not found any scholarly reference about Poo ware or Poo You-shi. Neither are mentioned in any of my Shiwan books.

I do believe pieces like these were influenced by Sumida and Banko pottery, but the Shiwan potter and Poo ware is a bit of a mystery.

For now it feels like referencing this particular Shiwan potter or Poo ware is speculative with no supporting written references or known pieces by him.

Would like to add a comment from Jonas Gunnarsson from the Facebook group, Collecting Japanese Ceramics and Arts

"The transcribed name "Poo You-she" seems to be done in the Wade-Giles system, which is not used that often today. I'm far from an expert in Chinese transcription, but I think it would be something like "Pú Yu-Shi" or "Pú Yu-Zhi" (with some diacritic signs added for the first name) in Pinyin. I tried to search for this name, and some other variations, but couldn't find anything. I also looked for the standard spellings of the name in Chinese, in combination with 石灣窯 "Shiwan ware", but without any luck".

I also tried variations of Pú Yu-Shi and Pú Yu-Zhi, but like Jonas, I have not had any luck.

Maybe some day I will discover which Shiwan pottery kiln this potters mark is from.

I have found four Shiwan ceramic vases over the past couple of months. Two that I have already shared (one and two).  I do not know what the odds are, but was very surprised to find a very similar piece to one already shared. The differences between the two are size, glaze colors, coarseness of clay and the motifs on one side.  Because of the similarities, and having made two similar vases, it seems even more likely that the potter was influenced by a specific event that remains a mystery.





Jan-Erik Nilsson at Gotheborg talks about a Poo Ware made to copy Japanese Sumida, and named after a Shiwan potter,  Poo You-she.  Saying, "Sumidagawa is a softer, raku pottery created in the early 1800s. Poo ware was the product of a Chinese Shiwan kiln potter Poo You-she, whose patterns were similar to those of Sumida".

All the online websites that reference Poo ware and Poo You-shi are copy and pasted from the Gotheborg website. I can not find any reference to this ware, the potter or any known examples of this potters work in any of my Shiwan ceramic books. I thought perhaps this information was orally passed on to Jan-Erik while visiting the Shiwan kilns in 2005. So have sent him a message asking and waiting to hear back. 

These three vases share the same "fish shaped" potters mark, so they did all came from the same family kiln.  It may be completely wrong of me to try and connect these three vases specifically to this mystery Shiwan potter, Poo You-shi.  Would just like to share these for comments, and especially ask if anyone has seen this fish potters mark on any pieces before and perhaps made a connection to a specific kiln/potter. Any help is greatly appreciated.



Putting aside for now a possible connection between these vases and Shiwan potter,  Poo You-she, they are a little unique for Shiwan ware in their raised relief sculpting and do seem to be a Chinese versions of the Japanese Sumida ware.  I found a couple of Shiwan potters that did create pieces resembling Sumida. Like, Huang Guzhen, and Huang Yun Ji, of which both stamped their works.



Shiwan potter, Huang Guzhen



Shiwan potter, Huang Yun Ji

The Appreciation of Shiwan Pottery Figures

Shiwan Wares, Exhibition Catalogue


In the past, Shiwan ceramic products could hardly invite the appreciation of the imperial court and men of wealth. However, since the Zhang Zhidong, the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi, had invited the Shiwan potter Hunng Bing to make a model of the "Nine Big Gui Bowls" which had proved to very lifelike, Huang Bing became famous and Shiwan ceramic art was then gradually noticed by the world. During that period, the distinguished Shiwan ceramic artists of Shiwan, such as Chen Weiyan, Huang Guzhen, Chen Zu, Pan Yushu, Pan Tiekui, Liang Baichuan, Liang Zushi and Liu Zhuchao emerged one after another and each caught popular favor by his forte. People even looked for works of distinguished Shiwan potters before Huang Bing, like those made as early as early Ming ans a late as early Qing by Zu Tang Ju, Ke Song, Lai Qin Xuan and Wen Rubi. Those who managed to get a piece or two valued them as jewels. Shiwan pottery became as famous as the Yixing wares and Dehua figures of gods and Buddhas which had been known all over the country since the Ming Dynasty. The tree of them all have something to recommend themselves.

Since Shiwan ceramic art was appreciated by more and more people, literati began to write essays on it openly. These writhers have a high regard for the Shiwan pottery. Different writers have different emphasis of study. Their topics include Shiwan ceramic industry, its guild system, the method of manufacture, anecdotes on famous Shiwan potters and introduction of works. Their writings are all in great detail. It is intended to confine the discussion to one point only, and that is, why is Shiwan ceramic art worthy of appreciation?

Shiwan ceramic art includes:

1. Figure sculpture
2. Animal and bird
3. Plant and flower
4. Decorative pieces
5. Miniatures

As for the household wares, cooking utensils, cleaning utensils and scientific implements, they would not be regarded as works of art. The works here can all be found in the Exhibition of Shiwan Wares organised by the Fung Ping Shan Museum. As for the division of period, the works of Shiwan ceramic figure sculpture made before 1950 as old sculptures and those made after 1950 as new sculptures. However be they old or new this writing is about appreciation from five angles mentioned below.

1) Subject matter - Most of the old sculptures have their sources of materials in books containing anecdotes, local operas, Buddhist and Daoist stories, legends of ghosts and gods, hearsay in the official circles, satires, essays for enjoyment and imaginary stories. Sometimes they are copies of ancient paintings and depictions of various happenings at their time or narrations of folk legends. Exaggerations are usually employed to express the Shiwan potters personal views. However, because most of the Shiwan potters were not very learned, the contents of the Confucian classics, history, philosophy and belles lettres, though recognized by the literati, were seldom drawn as materials. Although there were some Shiwan potters of wide knowledge and sound scholarship, subject matters which were too abstruse and recondite were not adopted for fear of having difficulties in rousing the sympathy of most admirers. Thus the old sculptures have remained to be the art of the common people exclusively. However, the lively and simple subject matters are expressed with such succinct and skilled craftsmanship which is totally uncanny and superlative that make people have such thought as, "there is no need for one to study before on can attain knowledge".

The subject matters of new Shiwan sculptures are mostly new things, such as the life of people in different places of the world, heroic and righteous figures in the present age and distinguished ancients who are engaged in the fields of politics, science, art and philosophy. But there are some which inherit the art of the various old sculptures of the old Shiwan potters. Nevertheless, the works display a variety of shapes and colors made by a galaxy of talented Shiwan potters.

One has to have a clear understanding of the background of the subject matters of the Shiwan ceramic sculptures before he can appreciate its art. Only then it can be judged whether the sculptor is really skilled in his way of presenting the subject matter. For example, for the same image of a "man swatting mosquitoes", there is a world of difference between the work of Liu Zuochao and its replica by his nephew Liu Yuan. This is at once discernible to those who like the works of Mr Liu. Thus, understanding of the background of Shiwan ceramic sculpture, subject matters is the pre-requisite of Shiwan ceramic art.

2) Modelling - The clay used by Shiwan potters is a mixture of the greyish white clay of Dongguan and the local sand. Besides being refractory, its viscidity and plasticity is also very great, this it is a very good kind of Kaolin. It's plasticity is greater than the China clay of Dehua in Gujian and Jingdezhen in Jiangxi. Fluttering sleeves, sashes and the finest lines can be well modelled. Thus the folds on the dresses and statures of the Shiwan ceramic figures are more elegant than those of Dehua and Jingdezhen. This characteristic of clay provides Shiwan potters ample scope for their imagination. The Shiwan potter can work with facility and the works have no need to be so constrained as those of other places. Moreover, in other producing areas of ceramics where the plasticity of clay is not great enough, the potters often have to use molds or work partly with molds for shaping in order to adapt to the clay materials. In this respect only Shiwan ceramic products can be all handmade without using molds for shaping
Lets firstly appreciate the designs of the external forms. Shiwan ceramic figures are all agile and nimble in their postures, with sashes floating in the air. Those fighting are stretching their legs and fists, those sitting on the ground are with clothes piled up like the caused nets of fishermen (Liu Zuochao likes to make figures in this posture). The works of both Dehua and Jingdezhen can not be fired like that. The eighteen Luohans sculptured by Zeng Longsheng, one of the best potters in Jiangxi, all have ferocious and weird features, but the folds on their clothes can not flutter. They have to be made by being casted in a mold first and polished later. If Mr. Zeng could come to Shiwan he surely would make the clothes of his Luohan figures swirl immediately with boundless joy and he would not have to have the Luohans in a seating posture in order to guarantee the stability of the figures during the firing.

In the same way, the figure of Guan Yin (catalogue #173) made by the famous Shiwan potter Chen Weiyan in Jiangxi was limited by the plasticity of the Jiangxi Kaolin without drifting folds and sashes as those made in Shiwan.

However, although the Shiwan clay can enable potters to bring their artistic mastery into play, if the Shiwan potters are not skilled enough, there may still be no good works. Therefore, admirers should judge the works according to whether the potters have made full use of the characteristic of clay to give play to their mastery. This is one way to appreciate Shiwan ceramic sculptures.

3) Expression - The products of the Dehua Kiln are mostly gods and buddhas. Although their faces are kindly and dignified, there are scarcely any other expressions on them. Figures are not the mainstream of production of the Jingdezhen Kiln of Jiangxi.  There are not many famous figure sculptors and only a very few good works of figures. In the recent years, though the figures of Fengxi in Chaozhou, (among them there are Chen Shimei repudiating his wife, characters in the opera, Fifteen Strings of Cash, Wu Song giving free rein to his strength at the river mouth of Feiyun) all have minute and touching expressions, owing to the limitations of the plasticity of kaolin, the folds on their clothes can not be compared with that of Shiwan. Besides, figures are not the main manufacture of Fengxi. Its output is not big. Therefore, for over a hundred years, Shiwan has been known as producing the greatest quantity of figures and creating figures with a variety of expressions among the producing areas of ceramics throughout the country.

The figures of Shiwan have numerous expressions. The gods and buddhas are dignified, the buddha's warrior attendants are full of valor and vigor. Ji Dian monk is funny and comical, the Luochans are weird and solemn, Zhong Kui is detesting the world, maitreyas are smiling and grimacing, all of the looking just as they should. Some Shiwan potters like to exaggerate the figures expressions of their works on purpose and to do the shaping of clothes just by simple lines. This is because the are aiming at using lively expressions to gloss over the whole figure, so that the admirers would be attracted by the expression only and would not notice other things. This is similar to the ay of highlighting the theme in writing and painting. The techniques of expression of all forms of art are common in some ways.

The portrayal of facial expressions and of the strength of hands and legs are the best tricks of the Shiwan ceramic potters. They way of wielding the brush in painting is skilfully employed by the potters in molding the features of the figures. The wooden chisels in their hands are their brushes. With every stroke, a trace of strength would be left. This is different from sculpturing with china clay in which brushes are used to smoothen the lines.

The apprentices of great potters are repeatedly admonished against using the brush to wash away the marks left by wooden chisel. Only those who can not handle their wooden chisels with sufficient exactness, who are hesitant of with hands trembling and so can not depict freely have need of using brushes to smooth the lines. Thus, if an admirer discovers traces of brushes on a Shiwan ceramic sculpture, he can at once decide that it is not a work of high quality.

4) Folds of the Clothes - Shiwan ceramic sculpture places its emphases first on the heads, secondly on the folds of the clothes, thirdly on the limbs, and lastly on the attachments of the figures. The reason why the importance of the molding of folds is placed before the molding of limbs is because the folds of clothes usually make up a greater part of the whole figure. They are noticed by the admirers even before the limbs, closely following the expression. Besides, the movement of folds is the melody of the potter's aspirations. It is not good when the folds are tangled or to sedulously striven for perfection. To much strenuous efforts would result in ruggedness, and intentional affections are not preferred. When the biscuit is not too wet or too dry, the potters would begin increasing or deducting the clay on biscuits to make the folds. The method of making folds is somewhat similar to calligraphy and painting. In showing shades and textures of rocks and mountain in Chinese painting and in writing of Chinese calligraphy, the brush has to be rotated every time when there is a turn. The wooden chisel on the biscuit also has to be rotated, if not, coarse grains known as "clay grime" by the Shiwan people would be left on both sides of the fold. If a brush is used to wash away the "clay grime", the line would then be smoothed and the vigor lost. But if the wooden chisel is pulled down rotatingly, there are the Yin and Yang methods of wielding the wooden chisel. The yang method means to start and end a stroke lightly, Yin means to start a stroke lightly but end it forcefully. If the figure is a man standing, the shaping of the folds on the front and back of a robe would be started from the two sides of the waist and the two armpits, then the wooden chisel is rotatingly pressed down towards both sides, divergently. When the Yin method is used on the left, the Yang method is used on the right in response. And when the Yin method is employed on the right, the Yang method would be employed on the left, echoing each other. This is how the folds on the front and the back of the robe are formed. The bend of the sleeve is usually made with the pointed end of the wooden chisel pressed downwards. The movement of the hand is similar to the mossy dotting method in traditional Chinese painting. The other folds all spread out from this point. The folds on the upper sleeve are pulled upwards from the bottom, and become the biggest dividing lines between the sleeve and the body. Then, by using the "nail head and mouse tail stroke", a few pulls downwards from the top are added, forming the folds between the side of the chest and the upper arm.

5) Biscuit and Glaze - In the hillock of Shiwan, there is a kind of red clay which is rich in iron. When sculpturing ceramic figures, the coarse grains in the red clay are got rid of by precipitation, leaving purified clay as residue. Then it is added with a small amount of very fine kaolin and Dongguan clay. The clay so mixed would give the color of skin. This is prepared for the molding of the head, the limbs and the parts of the body the figure which are not covered by clothes, and it is called biscuit clay. More over, there are figures which are completely made from biscuit clay without glaze to show the exquisite workmanship of the Shiwan potters. They are called "biscuit figures". There are always fine works among such biscuit figures. As for the glazed figures it has been the practice of Shiwan potters over these scores of years to use the biscuit only for the head and limbs, and the Dongguan clay and sand for the clothes which is to be glazed. The part of the skin, though not glazed would be steamed by the water  vapor of the glaze, so that it would shine beautifully like having a coat of luminous paint on it. This method of processing is not found in other places.

As for the colors of glazes, the Shiwan ceramic glazes have been mainly imitations of the Jun Kiln since the Ming Dynasty. And for the quality of the Shiwan glazes, the best should be thick an can spread out easily, while the most precious colors are such flambe glazes like the Jun red and Jun blue. In fact, the Shiwan glazes are copied from almost every kiln. Since the Shiwan Kin was established later than the other famous kilns, it had incorporated the best of the Tiger Head Kiln in Chaozhou and the Deng accordance with local environment and the kind of fuel used. The Dragon kiln can enable quick rising and lowering of temperature. When the Shiwan glaze has reached its melting point, the fore is at once put out. Thus the glaze colors of the famous kilns can be copied bore stably and easily. However, because of the ingredients used are different, the various Shiwan glazes so made are somewhat different from those of the original kilns. In this case, Shiwan came to have its own special glaze colors. For example, the Shiwan ceramic Ge ware glaze can be fired with large crackles in similar lardy white, but the color is a bit yellowish and there are many bristly holes in it (the forming of bristly holes is the result of glaze being immediately cooled after firing, the air under the Shiwan glaze is not spurted completely, so there are small holes in the glaze which cannot be smooth). The peach bloom red has become garnet with yellow threads because the clay of the base is not white enough. Owing to the copying glazes of other kilns, Shiwan glazes have formed their own styles. It is what makes the glazes of Shiwan ceramic so worthy of appreciation. 

The appreciation of Shiwan ceramic art can be viewed as a way of collecting certain information about sociology, literature, philosophy and art.

Would like to share a type of Shiwan ceramic that was either made at the Shiwan kiln for export to Vietnam, or possibly made at Vietnam kilns called, Gom Cay Mai. As Shiwan potters immigrated to Vietnam.

There is a book by De. Su Mei called, "The Stage on the Roof - The Stone Bay Tile Ridge Overseas"

Here are some examples (and discussion) shared by Cay Tre on the Chinese Shiwan Pottery Facebook group. 

Continued from the Glaze Examples Monochrome category




Shiwan Ceramic Turtle Glaze



Shiwan Ceramic Mixed Glaze



Shiwan Colored Glaze



Shiwan Fur Skin Glaze



Shiwan Mixed Glaze



Shiwan Feather Glaze



Shiwan Tiger Skin Glaze



Shiwan Yuan Hu Ji Mixed Glaze