26140 Living National Treasure Shimaoka Tatsuzo 80th Birthday Sake Cup SHIMAOKA Tatsuzo

Height 4.9cm
Diameter 7.3cm

Born in Tokyo in 1919 as the eldest son of braid artist Shimaoka Yonekichi, he graduated from the ceramics department of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, enlisted in the military, and then became a pupil of Hamada Shoji in Mashiko at the age of 27. After going independent at the age of 35, Shimaoka Tatsuzo was an artist who produced numerous works in the field of folk art using the unique technique of "Jomon inlay" until his death in 2007 at the age of 88.

When applying Jomon techniques, Tatsuzo initially used the braided cords made by his father, Yonekichi, suggesting that his ideas were born from the environment in which he was born. In 1996, Shimaoka Tatsuzo was designated a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure). He looked up to Hamada Shoji as his lifelong mentor and is one of Japan's leading ceramic artists, having established the Jomon inlay technique by applying the braided cords made by his father. He actively holds solo exhibitions and gives lectures overseas, spreading folk pottery to the world.

The "Kanju Sake Cup" is a sake cup created by Tatsuzo Shimaoka, a Living National Treasure, to commemorate his 80th birthday. It features his signature technique, "Jomon Zogan" (Jomon inlay).