Clay and natural enamel, worked on the lathe (h 90 mm x Ø 135 mm).
Mashiko Chawan teacup, with Gosumarumon overlapping circle decoration and Ensō motif, which in Japanese means “circle”, symbol of Zen enlightenment Mushin (abbreviation of Mushin No Shin , meaning “Mind without mind”, free from thoughts and worries).
The firing temperature is 1260 °C, which makes the ceramic durable and resistant.
Unique specimen, complete with wooden box ( Kiritomobako ), custom-made and bearing the artist's signature. Perfect preservation.
Shōji Hamada (Tokyo 1894 - Mashiko 1978) is one of the most important ceramists of the 20th century. His influence on ceramists all over the world is vast and the village of Mashiko, where he died, is a sort of obligatory stop for learning about Japanese folk ceramics: in his house, in fact, stands the Mashiko Sankokan Museum.
Hamada's great respect for craftsmanship leads him to draw as much as possible from popular traditions, especially medieval English pottery, Okinawan stoneware, and Korean ceramics. His works are not simple copies of studied styles, but unique products of his creative energy.
His art has received many awards: the Tochigi Prefectural Culture Prize and the Minister of Education Prize for Art, the appointment as a Living National Treasure and director of the Japan Folk Art Museum, the Okinawa Times Award and the Order of Culture from the Emperor, and an honorary degree from the Royal College of Art in London.
In 1961, Asahi Shimbun published Shoji Hamada: Collected Works , a precious volume that presents the artist's work and the legacy he left to the world of ceramics.