25213 Kanjiro Kawai, embroidered flower and dragon pattern, white porcelain hexagonal vase (made in 1922, Kan Shokei, Shokei kiln stamp, catalogue same hand)

Height 26.2 cm

Diameter 10.0cm

Together with such great masters as Yanagi Muneyoshi and Hamada Shoji, who are representative of the Japanese folk art world, and Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kuroda Tatsuaki, who are representative of modern Japanese crafts, Kawai Kanjiro is a master of Japanese folk art who has been highly acclaimed worldwide, having pioneered new frontiers in modern ceramics with his profound yet simple style that pursues "beauty of utility," and winning the Grand Prize at the Milan International Exhibition. This work is a masterpiece with carved dragons and flowers from the Shokei Kiln period, which is valuable for understanding the roots of Kanjiro's work. It is rare to see a work of this height. According to the chronology, in 1922, he was highly praised by critics at his solo exhibition at Takashimaya in Tokyo, and held another solo exhibition the following year, but he had doubts about his own pottery and was troubled. As it says, after 1923, he was influenced by Bernard Leach and Hamada Shoji, and began to walk the path of folk art. It is no exaggeration to say that this work represents the peak of the Shokei kiln era.