24798 Tsuboshima Dohei (Gold-painted red-painted incense box with phoenix design)

Height 3.3cm

Side 5.0cm

He is a ceramic artist from Osaka Prefecture. His family ran a kimono shop, and he grew up in that environment, exposed to many kimono and obi designs from an early age, which honed his artistic sense. The trigger for him to become a ceramic artist was when he was evacuated from Osaka during the war, and happened to be near Handeishi Kawakita's kiln, so he started helping Handeishi. He was attracted to the world of ceramics, and decided to become a ceramic artist instead of taking over the family business. Handeishi taught him many things, and after Handeishi passed away, he took over Hironaga Touen, so he is known as Handeishi's successor. In addition, the pen name "Dohei" is a combination of the two characters for "tsubo" (earth) in his real name, Tsuboshima, which does not exist in Japanese kanji, but in reality there is a dot near the center of the right side of the character for "tsubo," and when he signs his works, there is a dot in the character for "tsubo." As Handeishi worked on a variety of ceramics with a free-spirited approach, Dohei also showed a wide range of work, including Shino, Oribe, Korean Karatsu, and Iga, and produced tea ceremony ceramics such as tableware, water jars, tea bowls, incense burners, and vases with unique designs. Tsuboshima Dohei himself has said that from the age of 50, he was able to create works that were uniquely his own, rather than imitating Handeishi, which shows just how big a presence Handeishi had for Tsuboshima.