Seto GeneralIconographic and Mitate-Derived Version

Rooted in Sekien’s picture manuals, this tsukumogami-style portrayal recasts rivalry among ceramic centers like Seto and Karatsu into the guise of a warrior effigy. The body is a composite of cups, sake flasks, warming pans, and plates arranged as armor, while the accompanying text brims with wit, blending diction from Chinese classics and military tales. Rather than a field-sighted apparition, it crystallizes the idea of spirits inhabiting objects and the Edo-period literacy that likened trends and the prestige of named masterpieces to a “battle.” The motif continued into Meiji-era ukiyo-e and is viewed as a classic in the lineage of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.