Japanese Ceramic Vase Mingei Style Hamada Shoji

A tall ceramic vase made in the tradition of Shigaraki ware by Japanese potter Takahashi Shunsai (1927-2011), the fourth heir of the famed Rakusai lineage of potters. The vase is heavily potted in the reddish sandy Shigaraki clay. It has a Classic vase form made for Ikebana display. The surface is thickly draped with natural ash glaze that deposited onto the body during the firing process in the kiln. It also features decoration of carved lines. Nuggets of feldspar were incorporated in the clay and exposed onto the surface as crystal like jewels. Substantial and archaic looking, the vase also has a strong modern appeal due to its Mingei styling. It was signed on the base with a pressed seal Shunsai as shown. The vase comes with its original wood storage box (tomobako) with bears the title and signature in Kanji and a seal. It also retains a paperwork noting the artist's biography and practice philosophy in Japanese. Born in Shigaraki, Shunsai was the second son of renowned potter Takahashi Rakusai...

A tall vintage ceramic vase with handle from Japan (20th century) by Nanba Koyo. Made in the tradition of Bizen ware, the vase has a modern aesthetic with a...

Japanese pottery vase. Age: Japan, 20th Century Size: Height 28 C.M. / Width 13.5 C.M. Condition: Nice condition overall.

An exquisite, beautifully crafted Japanese pottery vase by master potter Shoji Hamada featuring Hamada's famous signature tenmoku glaze with kaki trailing. The original Hamada signed and sealed wood storage box is included as well as the written appraised signature of his son Shinsaku Hamada. The vase also comes with a printed artist profile/sales brochure of Hamada (featuring some of his other presumably available work). It appears this piece was offered at the Keio Department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. At first glance, this may seem odd but in fact, this is quite an honor in Japan. This store is known for selling and exhibiting such high-profile artists and potters as Bernard Leach, Lucie Rie, Gyokudo Kawai, Shiko Munakata, Kawai Kanjiro, and Rosanjin Kitaoji. A major goal of many ceramic artists in Japan is to have a one-man exhibition in a department store. For many Westerners, this is a strange concept. Some of the larger department stores have up to three or four dedicated galleries showing concurrent art exhibitions. A well-known artist's exhibition can bring in hundreds, often thousands, of customers to a store and increase revenue for other sales in the millions-of-yen range. These exhibits are usually longer running and highlight a potter's career, like a Living National...