Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Japanese, 1903-1975

Shiko Munakata is by many regarded as one of the most significant modern Japanese artists of the twentieth century. His art work consists of paintings, prints, ceramics and calligraphy. Looking at his art work, the way he produced it and his fame, one could be tempted to call him the Japanese Picasso of the twentieth century - in every aspect. Born in Aomori Shiko Munakata was born as the son of a blacksmith in Aomori Prefecture, located in the North of Japan's main island. He first began to paint in oil as a self-taught artist. Later in 1924 he went to Tokyo to study art. Three years after the artist's death, the city of Aomori opened the Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art. The museum web site has one page with a summary of the career of the artist in English. At the age of 23 Munakata Shiko saw a woodblock print by Sumio Kawakami and decided to try woodblocks himself. Under the guidance of Unichi Hiratuka he learned the art of making moku-hanga - woodblock prints. Three years later he exhibited four woodblocks at the Shunyokai exhibition. From then on Munakata Shiko was a hanga artist - a print artist. He continued to exhibit and by and by his reputation grew. After World War II had ended, the artist became famous outside Japan. His works were shown at the Lugano Print Exhibition in 1952, the Sao Paulo Biennal in 1955, the Venice Biennal in 1956. In each of these exhibitions he was awarded with first prizes. After these successful exhibition, Munakata went to the U.S., where he lectured at different universities and had numerous solo exhibitions. Munakata Shiko preferred to call his prints banga, which could be translated like picture made from a wooden panel. Munakata was a practicing Buddhist. Many of his prints and paintings show religious subjects. Other subjects are taken from Japanese legends or from nature. Munakata's prints are larger than the traditional Japanese oban (10x15 inches = 25.4x38 cm) size. With his larger-sized prints he followed Western contemporary artist's and the buying habits of Western clients. Japanese homes are usually small and have little wall space to hang art work and therefore Japanese art buyers tend to buy smaller sizes. A Munakata print is usually in black and white. The techniques he used are woodblocks, woodcuts and lithographs. Like Pablo Picasso, Shiko Munakata worked spontaneously, fast and was extremely prolific. Shiko Munakata died in Tokyo in 1975 at the age of 72.

Creator: Shiko Munakata

Shiko Shikou Munakata Rare Signed Japanese Pottery Chawan Tea Bowl & Signed Box

$5,500

Shiko Shikou Munakata Rare Signed Japanese Pottery Chawan Tea Bowl & Signed Box

By Shiko Munakata

Located in Studio City, CA

An exceptionally rare, wonderfully designed Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese master woodblock printmaker/ artist Shiko Munakata (1903-1975) who is widely considered to be the most important Japanese visual artist of the 20th century and the Pablo Picasso of Japan. This hand-painted work clearly illustrates Munakata's whimsical side as it is of a Koma - a child's spinning top toy. Very few examples of Munakata's work in ceramics exist still today. The work is signed by Munakata on the base as well as the original wood protective storage box (his seal can also be seen faintly in the lower-left corner). The bowl has a small kintsugi or "golden joinery" repair - the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold - on the inside. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. Munakata who is often compared to Picasso was primarily associated with and a principal figure in both the Sosaku-Hanga (which stressed the artist as the sole creator ) and the Mingei (folk art) movements. His many accolades and awards include the "Prize of Excellence" at the Second International Print Exhibition in Lugano, Switzerland in 1952, and first prize at the São Paulo Bienal Exhibition in Brazil in 1955, followed by the Grand Prix Award at the Venice Biennale in 1956, and the Order of Cultural Merit, the highest honor in the arts by the Japanese government in 1970. In 1960 after returning from a year abroad exhibiting his work in the United States, the Horinji Temple in Kyoto bestowed upon him the honorary rank of “Hokkyo”. In 1962, he received the rank of “Hogan” from Nisseki Temple in Toyama prefecture. He also received a Medal of Honor in 1963 and the Asahi Shimbun culture prize in 1965. Munakata's work can be found in numerous international collections and museums including: The Britsih Museum, UK The Chicago Art Institute Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), NY The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), NY The Philadelphia Museum of Art The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Washington DC Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis And his own museum The Munakata Shiko...

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Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Antique Japanese Shino Ware Chawan Tea Bowl

$3,200

H 3 in Dm 5 in

Antique Japanese Shino Ware Chawan Tea Bowl

Located in Atlanta, GA

On offer is a Japanese ceramic tea bowl (chawan) used in the traditional chado ceremony. The bowl was potted in clog form with a ring foot shaved extremely low. Its size and harmonious proportion make it perfect to be held in both hands during chado. Classified as shino ware...

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18th Century Japanese Edo Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Celadon Ceramic Tea Bowl Korean Goryeo Dynasty

$3,500

H 2.25 in Dm 6.6 in

Celadon Ceramic Tea Bowl Korean Goryeo Dynasty

Located in Atlanta, GA

An antique Korean ceramic tea bowl with celadon glaze from Goryeo dynasty, circa 12th century. The thin-walled stoneware bowl was potted delicately with...

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15th Century and Earlier Korean Archaistic Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Japanese Minimalistic LAAB Fringe Chawan Bowl Raku Ceramics Crackle White

$198 / item

H 2.76 in Dm 5.91 in

Japanese Minimalistic LAAB Fringe Chawan Bowl Raku Ceramics Crackle White

By LAAB Milano

Located in monza, Monza and Brianza

Fringe chawan bowl Irregular, dramatic gray cracks of bold visual impact embellish the polished ceramic surface of this spectacular chawan bowl, handcrafted following the ancient ...

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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Japanese Shino Chawan Tea Bowl Edo Period

$3,000

H 3 in Dm 5 in

Japanese Shino Chawan Tea Bowl Edo Period

Located in Atlanta, GA

A Japanese ceramic Chawan (tea bowl) of e-Shino (painted Shino) ware style circa mid-late 18th century Edo period. The classically shaped bowl features an abstract blue paint of blue grass and displays strong characters in the milky white glaze, with overall crawling and crackling effect. One of the most distinctive characteristics of Shino that is exemplified on this bowl is the small pinholes called suana, which tea masters favor (termed as yuzuhada, or citron skin). The milky-white feldspar...

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Late 18th Century Edo Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Japanese Mino Ware Oribe Type Chawan Tea Bowl

$2,600

H 4.5 in Dm 4.25 in

Japanese Mino Ware Oribe Type Chawan Tea Bowl

Located in Atlanta, GA

A Japanese Kutsu-gata (clog-shaped) chawan (tea bowl) circa 19th century possibly older. The stoneware bowl potted from buff clay has a slight irregular shape and an unusual depth for a tea bowl. Of Mino ware...

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19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Chinese Jun Ware Streak Glazed Art Pottery Bowl

$408

H 2.27 in Dm 4.63 in

Chinese Jun Ware Streak Glazed Art Pottery Bowl

Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire

A very stylish good quality Chinese Jun Ware pottery bowl decorated with streaked glazes on a red and pale blue glazed ground dating from the latter 19th o...

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19th Century Chinese Other Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Pottery

Islamic Pottery Bowl with Figurative Paint Kashan Ware

$4,200

H 4 in Dm 11 in

Islamic Pottery Bowl with Figurative Paint Kashan Ware

Located in Atlanta, GA

An earthenware bowl supported on a foot ring decorated with elaborate slip paint. The bowl was likely made in Kashan (in nowadays Iran) during 12-14th century, in Khwarazmian Empire,...

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15th Century and Earlier Persian Islamic Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Set of 2 Yamada Seigan match tea bowl / chawan

$900 / set

H 3.75 in Dm 5.12 in

Set of 2 Yamada Seigan match tea bowl / chawan

Located in Fukuoka, JP

Pair of Contemporary Japanese Matcha Tea Bowls by Yamada Seigan, Saga Prefecture This refined pair of contemporary chawan (matcha tea bowls) was crafted by acclaimed Japanese cerami...

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21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Antique Japanese Signed Imari Porcelain Plum Shaped Bowl by Hichozan Fukagawa

$1,850

H 3.13 in W 8.13 in D 7.88 in

Antique Japanese Signed Imari Porcelain Plum Shaped Bowl by Hichozan Fukagawa

By Hichozan

Located in Philadelphia, PA

A fine antique signed Japanese Imari porcelain bowl. In the form of a shaped bowl with a plum-like shape. Decorated throughout with exquisitely detailed painted or enameled dec...

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Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Korean Mishma Tea Bowl Chawan Joseon Dynasty

$12,000

H 3 in Dm 5.3 in

Antique Korean Mishma Tea Bowl Chawan Joseon Dynasty

Located in Atlanta, GA

A Korean Hori-Mishima Chawan (tea bowl) circa 16th-17th century (Joseon Dynasty). The tea bowl is of an upright conical form supported by a high foot ring. It was decorated with incised brushwood fence patterns filled with white slip on both the interior and exterior surface. These dominant motifs were spaced by three encircling double lines. Seven chrysanthemum flowers (inka) were stamped on the lower interior surrounding a swirling tea well on the bottom. There are six spur marks known as Meato in Japanese on the interior bottom and a pointy spot in the center of the foot ring known as Tokin. Two crack lines were historically repaired by superb Kintsugi, adding a mysterious wabi-sabi appeal to the piece. The Hori-Mishima bowl was also known as Gohon Mishima. It was made in Bushan Kilns of the Southern Gyeongsang Province specifically for the Japanese market in the 16th-17th century, when the tea ceremonies in Japan demanded such ware. The bowl comes with a purple fabric pouch...

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17th Century Korean Other Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Japanese Ceramic Bowl Makuzu Kozan Utusushi Kenzan

$7,000

H 3.5 in Dm 7 in

Japanese Ceramic Bowl Makuzu Kozan Utusushi Kenzan

By Makuzu Kozan

Located in Atlanta, GA

A rare ceramic bowl with overglaze paint decoration by Japanese imperial potter Makuzu Kozan ((1842–1916). Unlike the better-known works Kozan made for the expositions in the west and export to the foreign market, this piece exemplifies his work for the domestic market and the tea ceremony. The bowl was made in the so called "Utusushi" Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743), a celebrated Edo painter and ceramicist. Utusushi is loosely translated as "in the spirit of". It is not at all a simple imitation of a master, but a Japanese concept of embracing the spiritual essence of a master while the creator is free to mix in his or her own unique artistic interpretation and flavor. The bowl was made to hold fruits during the tea ceremony. It has a very distinguished form with a circular lower body morphing into a square upper portion that further opening with flared rim. The surface has a grey glaze onto which Asagao flowers (Japanese morning glory) on the vines were painted in a free and poetic style. White was used for the petals, green for the leaves with touches of gold highlight. Asagao, the symbol of the summer was rendered in the spirit of Ogata Kenzan, and interestingly the shape of the blossom echoes the unique form the bowl. It was likely reserved for the tea ceremony during the summer months. Under the base, Kozan was signed in black on a white porcelain plaque inlay. For two similar examples of Kozan's work Utusushi Kenzan, see Page 168-169 of the book: Sekai ni Aisa Reta ya Kimono Miyagawa Kozan Makuzu...

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Early 1900s Japanese Japonisme Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Korean Ceramic Ki-Irabo Tea Bowl Chawan Joseon Dynasty

$3,600

H 2.75 in Dm 5.25 in

Korean Ceramic Ki-Irabo Tea Bowl Chawan Joseon Dynasty

Located in Atlanta, GA

A ceramic chawan tea bowl made in Korea for Japanese market circa 17th century. The chawan is identified as Ki- Irabo type (Yellow Irabo). Irabo bowls w...

Category

17th Century Korean Other Antique Shiko Munakata Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Shiko Munakata decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.

Shiko Munakata decorative objects are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Shiko Munakata decorative objects, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Prices for Shiko Munakata decorative objects can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $5,500 and can go as high as $5,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,500.

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