By Kichizan, Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th century Decorated in enamels and gilt, the body with two large rectangular panels enclosing a contrasting figural scene, depicting on one side the interior of a sumptuous household, the residents at leisure, a woman in the centre manipulating a puppet of a yakko holding a keyari (spear made of bird feathers) entertaining the women and children seated on the floor with toys and masks strewn around them, in front of a tall dragon-embellished screen, a lakescape in the background, the other side showing a lively outdoor rural spring scene with peasants and their families strolling along the shores of a lake, a vegetable seller seated in the foreground before excited children chasing a family of chickens, all on a blue ground decorated with fragmented geometric and floral motifs and stylised crests; signed on the base Dai Nippon Kichizan tsukuru within a seal. 39.7cm (15 5/8in) high.