23189 Living National Treasure Tatsuzo Shimaoka (Red-painted checkered vase)

Height 22.0cm Width 10.4cm Depth 9.2cm

Born in Tokyo in 1919 as the eldest son of braid artist Shimaoka Yonekichi, Shimaoka graduated from the ceramics department of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, enlisted in the military, and then, at the age of 27, became a student of Hamada Shoji in Mashiko. Shimaoka Tatsuzo became independent at the age of 35, and until his death in 2007 at the age of 88, he was an artist who produced numerous works using the unique technique of "Jomon inlay" in the field of folk art. When using Jomon techniques, he initially used braided cords made by his father, Yonekichi, so it can be imagined that the idea was born from the environment in which Tatsuzo was born. Furthermore, Tatsuzo's Jomon is not created by simply pressing the cord, but by twirling it around, and the subtle misalignment of the lines gives the work its charm. This work is an inlaid red-painted checkered pattern using the inlay technique that he excelled at, and the rope pattern is beautiful down to the smallest detail.