Shibata Japan Porcelain Vase with Peonies, Wisteria and Butterfly
Know something about this item? Share it.
Owners, collectors and sellers: if you know anything about this piece, like who made it, when or where it came from, or what it sold for, please add it below.
A Shibata garden pattern made on several vase shapes
The Shibata Japan porcelain vase with peonies, wisteria and butterfly is a white porcelain baluster vase with a flared neck and a gold rim, decorated all down one side with a Japanese-style garden: big pink tree peonies at the bottom, short clusters of purple wisteria, a pale pink flowering branch with gold-brown leaves rising toward the shoulder, gold sprigs of grass and one small butterfly. The base carries the red square seal 柴田陶器, read Shibata Tōki. Tōki means ceramics or porcelain, and the Gotheborg marks reference translates the seal as "Shibata Porcelain."
Very little is written about the company itself. No founding date, factory town or owner turned up in English or Japanese searches, and a search of Japanese company listings found no firm by that name. What the marks do show is that it made goods for export: one version of the Shibata seal recorded by Gotheborg has "Oriental Merchandise, Inc. & International Merchandise, Inc." printed under it, the names of importers rather than a pottery. Shibata ware was also sold with "Made in Japan" paper labels. Dates differ by source. Gotheborg lists three versions of the seal, all as late 20th century; a Japanese marks list gives Shibata Tōki as 1976 to present; collectors on Collectors Weekly have suggested the 1950s to 1970s. Sellers date the related wisteria-and-bird vase to the 1990s. None of these is backed by a dated catalog or ad, so the honest answer is late 20th century.
Shibata made far more than vases. Live listings on October 29, 2026 included Shibata ginger jars, trinket boxes, bud vases, bathroom vanity sets, picture frames, Christmas tree mugs and plates, children's dish sets and black porcelain with gold chrysanthemums. The best-known vase is the one sellers call "Wisteria Vine with Bird," made in heights from 6 to about 12 inches; more than 20 copies were listed that day. White porcelain with a gold rim and pastel flowers and birds is the house look.
This peony and wisteria pattern is less common but still turns up regularly. Seven live copies were found on eBay and Etsy, and they show that Shibata used the same print on at least three shapes: this tall baluster with a flared neck (sold at about 12 inches), a round-bellied vase with a tall narrow neck (about 10 inches), and a slender shouldered vase (10 and 12 inches). No copy had a pattern name on its base or label. Most sellers call it hand painted, but the flowers sit in the same places, line for line, on every copy, so the outlines are printed and the colors filled in.
Which Shibata is it, and is it Shibata at all?
From this copy, the Gotheborg marks reference and listing photos, checked October 29, 2026. Heights are what sellers give.
| Version | Marks | Tells | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peony and wisteria, baluster This copy | Red 柴田陶器 seal, SHIBATA JAPAN below | Flared neck, peonies low, flowering branch above, small butterfly | About 12 in. |
| Peony and wisteria, round-bellied Same pattern | Same seal | Wide round body, tall narrow neck; butterfly sits on the neck | About 10 in. |
| Peony and wisteria, slender Same pattern | Same seal, seller calls it Shibata Toki | Narrow shouldered body, the print stretched taller | 10 and 12 in. |
| Wisteria Vine with Bird Different pattern | Shibata seal | Long hanging wisteria, a songbird, more gold | 6 to about 12 in. |
| Kyoto Shibata cloisonné Different maker | "Kyoto Shibata" on a silver plaque | Copper body with wire-set enamel, Meiji period, 1890–1910 | Varies |
- The seal comes in versions. Gotheborg shows the red seal alone, the red seal with SHIBATA JAPAN and importer names under it, and a blue seal. This vase has the red seal over SHIBATA JAPAN with nothing else.
- Look for a paper label. Some Shibata vases still have a blue oval "Made in Japan" label; this copy has none.
- Same print, different shape. Shibata reused this garden print on several shapes, so the shape, not the flowers, tells you which version you have.
- Not the cloisonné Shibata. Antique Kyoto cloisonné vases signed Shibata, such as one in the V&A, are enamel on copper and sell for far more. They have nothing to do with Shibata porcelain.
- Ground color. Every copy photographed in daylight shows a white ground with a pale mint wash behind the flowers. In the owner's photos of this copy the upper body looks pale lavender, which is likely the light on the glossy glaze.
A white baluster vase with a peony garden and a gold rim
The Shibata peony and wisteria vase is glossy white porcelain, shaped like a tall baluster: a high rounded shoulder, a body that narrows toward a plain round foot, and a short neck that flares out to a thin gold rim. The decoration covers the front and wraps partly around the sides; the back is mostly plain white. Behind the flowers a soft wash of pale mint green rises from the lower body.
At the bottom, large ruffled tree peonies in pink (pale pink petals deepening to rose at the center, a few with gold-yellow stamens) sit among leaves in sage, mint and olive green. Short clusters of purple wisteria (soft lavender-purple) hang at the left and right. Above them, a branch of pale pink blossoms with gold-brown leaves climbs to the shoulder, gold sprigs of grass curl up at the left, and a small pastel butterfly in pale yellow and lilac flies at the right. Every flower and leaf is outlined in fine brown lines.
- Front: peonies low, wisteria clusters at each side, flowering branch rising to the shoulder.
- Sides: single peonies and leaves wrap around; the butterfly is at the right shoulder.
- Back: mostly plain white glaze.
- Rim: a narrow band of bright gold on the lip; the inside of the neck is white.
- Base: glossy white glazed center inside an unglazed foot ring.
- Mark: a red-orange square seal with a woven lattice border and four characters, 柴田 in the right column and 陶器 in the left, over SHIBATA in bold capitals and a smaller JAPAN.
- This copy: gold rim bright and unworn, light grime on the unglazed foot ring, no paper label. No chips or cracks show in the photos.
[square seal, read right column then left] 柴田 陶器 SHIBATA JAPANRed-orange, printed on the glazed white base. 柴田陶器 is read Shibata Tōki.
- Shibata Japan vase peonies
- Shibata Toki vase
- Shibata porcelain vase pink peony butterfly
- Shibata wisteria peony vase gold rim
- Shibata floral butterfly vase
- 柴田陶器 vase
Copies for sale right now
Two live eBay listings of this same 12-inch baluster vase, checked October 29, 2026. Five more listings put the same print on round-bellied and slender vases; How to identify it covers those. Asking prices, not sales. eBay's sold prices need a sign-in, so they aren't here.
Shibata Japan Floral Butterfly Vase Pink & Greens Flower
Baluster, same shape as this copyView on eBay ↗
Vintage Shibata Japan Vase Pink Peonies Wisteria Flowers Gold Trim 12"
Baluster, same shape as this copy, 12 in.View on eBay ↗About the Shibata Japan Vase, Peonies and Wisteria
What does the red seal on a Shibata vase say?
柴田陶器, read Shibata Tōki. Tōki means ceramics or porcelain, so it reads "Shibata Porcelain." On this vase SHIBATA in bold capitals and a smaller JAPAN are printed under the seal.
Who made Shibata porcelain?
A Japanese porcelain brand that marked its wares Shibata Tōki. Its founding, factory location and owners aren't documented in any reference found. One version of the mark adds the names of two US importers, Oriental Merchandise, Inc. and International Merchandise, Inc., so Shibata ware was made for export.
How old is a Shibata vase?
Late 20th century. Sources disagree on the exact years: the Gotheborg marks reference says late 20th century, a Japanese marks list gives 1976 to present, and collectors suggest the 1950s to 1970s. Nothing on this vase gives a year.
Is this the Shibata Wisteria Vine with Bird vase?
No. The Wisteria Vine with Bird vase has long hanging wisteria, a songbird and gold accents. This pattern puts large pink peonies at the bottom, short wisteria clusters, a flowering branch above and a small butterfly, with no bird.
Is the vase hand painted?
Sellers often say so, but every copy found has the same flowers in the same places, line for line, so the outlines are printed and the colors filled in.
What is a Shibata peony and wisteria vase worth?
On October 29, 2026, seven live listings of this pattern asked $13 to $53 before shipping, or about $24 to $64 delivered. The two of the same tall baluster shape asked $19.99 and $25. These are asking prices, not sales.
- Owner's photos of this copy, including the base and seal
- Gotheborg: 20th century Japanese marks, Shibata, for the reading "Shibata Porcelain," the three seal versions (red, red with importer names, blue) and the late 20th century date
- Japanese porcelain marks list, giving Shibata Toki 柴田陶器 as 1976 to present
- Collectors Weekly: Shibata wisteria vase, for a collector's 1950s to 1970s dating and the blue oval "Made in Japan" paper label
- Collectors Weekly: large Shibata vase, for the 1976 date cited from the marks list and for Shibata reusing one decoration on several shapes
- V&A: cloisonné vase signed Kyoto Shibata, the unrelated Meiji cloisonné maker (1890–1910)
- Poshmark: Shibata listings, for the range of other Shibata wares on sale October 29, 2026
- eBay search for Shibata wisteria vases, for the Wisteria Vine with Bird listings and their heights
- eBay: same pattern, same shape, 12 in., for the base mark matching this copy and the white ground in daylight
- eBay: same pattern on a slender 12 in. vase and on a round-bellied 10 in. vase, for the other shapes