Rakusai Takahashi III Signed Japanese Shigaraki Pottery Chawan Tea Bowl with Box

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...

A beautiful, perfectly shaped antique Bizen ware Chawan tea bowl by renowned Japanese master potter/artist Kaneshige Toyo (1896-1967) featuring a unique natural, organic forming ash glaze. Kaneshige is universally considered to be the founder of modern Bizen pottery. In 1956, Kaneshige was certified as a Living National Treasure (Important Intangible Cultural Heritage) for his work in Bizen Ware pottery/ceramics. Bizen Ware is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from the Bizen province, presently a part of the Okayama prefecture. It is considered one of the Six Ancient Japanese Kilns (along with Echizen ware, Seto ware, Shigaraki ware, Tamba ware, and Tokoname ware). The piece is signed/ sealed on the base with one of Kaneshige's traditional incised marks. A rather engaging and scarce work. Would be a fantastic addition to any Japanese/Asian pottery or Bizen Ware collection or eye-catching stand-alone work in about any setting. Kaneshige's work can be found in numerous prominent collections and museums including: Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Seto, Japan Brooklyn Museum, NY Hagi Uragami Museum, Yamaguchi, Japan Honolulu Art Museum, HI Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Kasama, Japan Indiana Art...

A stunning Japanese stoneware studio pottery chawan tea bowl that features a beautiful, heavy and sumptuously multi-glaze with wonderful shifts in color and texture. This bowl is wit...

A stunning Japanese Asian-influenced stoneware Studio Pottery Chawan tea bowl that features a beautiful dark rich glaze with wonderful shifts in pattern and texture. This particula...

A "Kakinoheta" type ceramic chawan (tea bowl) made in Korean during Joseon dynasty circa 16th-17th century. The bowl has a slight irregular flat shape w...

A ceramic chawan tea bowl made in Korea for Japanese market circa 17th century. The chawan is identified as Irabo type. Irabo bowls were essentially con...

A ceramic stoneware chawan tea bowl made in Korea circa 16-17th century. The chawan is identified as Ko-ido (small ido) due to its size and form. Ido bowls were made since 15th centu...

A small elegant glazed ceramic tea bowl (chawan) by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011). The well-balanced form is hand built and shows just a slight irr...