22394 Master of Folk Crafts Kanjiro Kawai (Blood Pattern Celadon (Shokei Kiln))

Height 2.8cm Diameter 12.0cm

This is a work by Kawai Kanjiro, a master of Mingei who was a driving force in the Mingei movement and a potter active not only in Japan but also overseas. He is famous for the episode of him insisting on being an unknown potter and refusing honors such as the "Living National Treasure" and the "Order of Culture" throughout his life. In 1920, Kanjiro inherited a kiln in Gojozaka, Kyoto from the fifth generation Shimizu Rokubei, and named it "Shokei Kiln" and began producing works. This work was made during the Shokei Kiln period and emits fascinating and lustrous colors. You will be drawn in by the calm contrast between the blue-green of the celadon and the red of the cinnabar. When Kanjiro was a technician at the Kyoto City Ceramics Testing Center, he was devoted to researching glazes such as celadon, cinnabar, and Tenmoku. He then had the opportunity to go to Dalian, where Shinobu Komori showed him his research centered on cinnabar, and after returning to Japan, he became passionate about cinnabar. This is a superb piece from the Shokei kiln period that is an absolute must-see for anyone wanting to understand Kawai Kanjiro's work.