25475 Tsuboshima Dohei (ash-glazed sake cup)

Height 4.8cm

Diameter 6.3cm

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 pottery 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 it wasn't until he turned 50 that he was able to create works that were his own, rather than just imitating Handeishi, which shows just how important Handeishi was to Tsuboshima. This sake cup is full of the atmosphere of his master, Handeishi.