by YAMADA Akio
Showa period, 1950s/60s
Carved coloured lacquers, choshitsu
21 x 22.5(h) x 8 cm
Signed
Signed & sealed tomobako
Against a black ground of pure form, a depiction of budding and blossoming flowers emerges from a framework of variegated leaves. All is highly stylised and very much of its time in the post war Showa period. Its execution uses a range of lacquer techniques that collectively identify it as Sanuki ware from the area of Takamatsu, in present day Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku. Sanuki ware is typically colourful, employing certain techniques that originated in China and Thailand, and that were first introduced to the area in the 1830s by Tamakaji Zokoku, when he was retained by the local daimyo family – the Matsudaira clan.
The bottle form has been created using dry lacquer, kanshitsu, the term applied to laying lacquer soaked cloths over a carved former. When cured, the former is removed to leave a lightweight organic base on which to begin the finishing lacquer processes. On this example, areas of multiple layers of yellow lacquer have been applied before finally over-lacquering the whole in black. Then, firstly outlining the design in sharp cut lines and incised carving, the cuts have been infilled with coloured lacquers, kinma technique. From there the artist has carved down through the areas of yellow to create subtly variegated flowers, choshitsu technique. Finally, the brownish purple leaves have been created using a painterly quality, zonsei technique.
Yamada, a Takamatsu student of Living National Treasure Otomaru Kodo, was active in the second half of 20th century, exhibiting his work nationally both at the Nihon Dento Kogei and the Shin Kogeiten, where his work was awarded in 1988.