Chinese Imari or Japanese, that is the question?

[Stan]

Hi Peter and  Everybody, I have been trying to find out if this is Chinese Imari made for export to Japan or is it Japanese? It is marked on the bottom and I have not been able to tell what the marks say, the height is 31" 1/2 inches tall or 80.01 cm. I have seen Chinese Imari with the same colors as this vase, everything would fit for Chinese except in the blue I noticed that the enamel in some areas are on top of the glaze and put on very heavy, on other examples that I have seen the blue is under the glaze, most of the blue is under the glaze but then there is areas where it is raised a heavy enamel, also I noticed that the lid doesn't match the rest of the vase, the gold is brighter and the decoration is different although it is the same colors I believe the lid has been replaced at some point in time, please let me know what you think, thanks from Stan.

[Stan]

Here are more Photo's. I will send more photo's of the lid.

[Stan]

Here are the rest of the Photo's, any feed back would be great, thanks.

[Stan]

I would like to add that the pomegranates look like the ones I have seen on Chinese vases, I have never seen them on Japanese porcelain, I am not saying that the Japanese didn't use pomegranates I just have not seen them drawn in this fashion, also the mark on the bottom is centered, the Japanese were not as carful as the Chinese for centering there marks and therefore the Japanese marks were not as centered, but on this vase it is perfectly centered on the bottom. I have seen other Chinese Imari that has the phenix and the phenix is drawn the same way as some of the examples I have seen, the only thing I can see that I have not seen on Chinese examples is the decoration on the bottom of the vase, that looks like Japanese, but then again it could be Chinese copying Japanese decoration.
The decoration was painted on a white ground without a blue hue this is also like other examples that I have seen, I am leaning towards idea that this is Chinese Imari.

[Stan]

I was told by someone that can read Japanese that the marks on the bottom says Imari, the Japanese would not have signed it that way, Imari is a shipping port where they shipped porcelain for export and the mark would have been a kiln or maker, it would not have been marked Imari, Imari took on the name Imari around the world because that is where is was shipped from, so I believe that is more evidence that it is Chinese Imari, at the time it could have been signed that way, possibly 18th century or early 19th century.