We are pleased to present this guinomi sake cup by Kitamura Takashi (北村隆, 1946–), a Kutani ware artist with the Chikuryu Kiln in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, who received the Prime Minister's Award at the 33rd International Open Art Exhibition in 2007. First selected for the 6th Nitten in 1973, Kitamura has been selected 27 times in all and won a Special Selection at the 27th Nitten in 1995 for "Tenku Haruka ni." In 1997 the artist was certified as a Traditional Craftsman by the Minister of International Trade and Industry. Representative large platters depicting Kitamaebune trading ships are held by the Apollopolis Museum in Nice, France, and a state art museum in Australia, and the artist's ties with great temples include a Kutani gold tea set donated for a memorial tea offering at Todaiji and a large incense burner dedicated to Eiheiji for the 750th memorial of Zen Master Dogen.
What drew us to this small cup is that, within a mouth of only about 6.1 cm, two entirely different worlds are painted inside and out. There is a view to admire in the hand, another to find on tilting the cup, and another that appears only when it is drained. The pleasure of cherishing a sake vessel is distilled into this single piece.
On the outside, fine black lines cover the surface with a seigaiha wave pattern, over which a deep, translucent blue-green overglaze enamel is laid. Upon this ground two clusters of large palmate leaves form a pair, one in yellow-brown and the other in grape purple. Every vein is drawn in black line and the enamel is built up thickly, so that the leaves seem to rise from the surface. A single yellow tendril runs from the upper body down toward the foot, bringing movement to the composition. Filling the surface with dense green, yellow and purple enamels without red gives the piece a dignity recalling the Ao-de style of Ko-Kutani.
Inside, the scene changes completely. Fine black dots are set closely across a yellow ground, and blue-green and grape-purple leaves radiate over it. Applied one by one with the brush, the dots fill the surface from the well to the rim in regular rows, quietly telling of the labor this small vessel required. The blue-green and grape-purple leaves face each other at the center, and a slender blue-green stem curves between them. Beneath the glass-clear overglaze enamel the lines of the veins show distinctly, and the sheen of the enamel changes the look of the leaves with every angle.
The foot ring reveals pure white porcelain, and within it a square seal "隆" (Takashi) is framed in black on a blue-green ground. The accompanying artist-signed box bears the ink inscription "Guinomi" on the lid and, inside the lid, the signature "Kutani Takashi saku" with a red square seal. No date is recorded, but from the style and the artist's career we estimate the piece to date from the 1990s to the 2000s.
We offer this piece, about 4.4 cm high with a mouth diameter of about 6.1 cm, as a "Japanese-style shot glass" for savoring aged sake, matured spirits and whisky neat. When amber spirits are poured gently, the leaves and the dotted yellow ground shimmer beneath the surface, and each tilt of the cup brings the leaves into view. We invite you to appreciate a master's skill in the palm of your hand.
- Artist: Kitamura Takashi (北村隆, 1946–)
- Artist's Representative Career Highlights: [1972] Founded the Kutani Chikuryu Kiln; [1973] first selected for the 6th Nitten (selected 27 times in all); [1986] Nitten associate member; [1992] Bronze Medal, International Exhibition of the Apollopolis Museum, Nice, France; [1995] Special Selection at the 27th Nitten for "Tenku Haruka ni"; [1997] certified as a Traditional Craftsman by the Minister of International Trade and Industry; [2003] dedicated a large Kutani incense burner to the Head Temple Eiheiji; [2007] Prime Minister's Award, 33rd International Open Art Exhibition (Renten), for a yuri-kinsai group; [2009] Higashikuni-no-miya Cultural Award; [2012] Foreign Minister's Award, 39th International Open Art Exhibition
- Public Collections: Apollopolis Museum, Nice, France (large Kitamaebune platter); State Art Museum, Australia (large Kitamaebune platter, gold-decorated tea utensils)
- Production Period: 1990s–2000s (estimated from the style and the artist's career)
- Item Condition: Very good (no chips, no cracks). Please regard the crazing that forms in firing, other characteristics of ceramics and the patina of age as part of the pleasure of an antique piece.
- Accessories: Artist-signed box (ink inscription "Guinomi" on the lid; signature "Kutani Takashi saku" and red square seal inside the lid)
- Material: Porcelain (Kutani ware, overglaze enamels)
- Dimensions: Height approx. 4.4 cm, Mouth diameter approx. 6.1 cm
- Note: The items provided by our shop were produced a very long time ago and are all listed as pre-owned items. Please understand and confirm the age-related changes before considering your purchase.
- Please check the photos: We prepare every description with great care, but errors may still remain in the text. Please examine the photos carefully before purchasing. Where the photos and the description differ, please take the photos as the basis for the product information.
