{"product_id":"chashaku-tea-scoop-kagura-sacred-dance-by-maeda-shodo-daitoku-ji-zuiho-in","title":"Chashaku Tea Scoop 'Kagura' (Sacred Dance) by Maeda Shodo — Daitoku-ji Zuiho-in","description":"Experience Authentic Japanese Zen Art with this Chashaku Bamboo Tea Scoop. This Daitoku-ji Temple Artwork serves as a Zen Master Calligraphy Piece and Sacred Dance Bamboo Art, featuring Zuiho-in Temple Inscription and Japanese Tea Ceremony Heritage—a must-have for any Zen Art Collector and Chado Enthusiast.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 BASIC DETAILS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• **Artist**: Maeda Shodo (前田昌道) — Abbot of Zuiho-in (瑞峰院), Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto\u003cbr\u003e• **Mei (銘)**: Kagura (神楽) — \"Sacred Dance\" (Shinto ritual performance)\u003cbr\u003e• **Technique**: Hand-carved susudake (smoked bamboo) with refined arikoshi (ant-waist) node\u003cbr\u003e• **Era**: Late 20th Century\u003cbr\u003e• **Origin**: Kyoto, Japan — Daitoku-ji Temple Complex\u003cbr\u003e• **Dimensions**: Length 18.7 cm\u003cbr\u003e• **Box**: Kiri-bako (paulownia wood box) with inscription \"銘 神楽 瑞峰院 前田昌道\" and kaō; arabesque-patterned paper outer box\u003cbr\u003e• **Bamboo Tube (Tsutsu)**: Inscribed \"神楽\" with flower seal (kaō)\u003cbr\u003e• **Condition**: Good to excellent — clean bamboo with rich reddish-brown patina; minor age-consistent discoloration on paper box\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Historical Context**\u003cbr\u003eZuiho-in (瑞峰院) is one of the most celebrated sub-temples of Daitoku-ji, founded in 1535 by the Christian daimyo Otomo Sorin. The temple is renowned for its rock gardens designed by Shigemori Mirei and its tradition of producing distinguished Zen calligraphers. A tea scoop inscribed by the abbot of Zuiho-in carries the double weight of Zen spiritual authority and centuries of cultural patronage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Technique \u0026amp; Aesthetic**\u003cbr\u003eCarved from susudake bamboo, this tea scoop exhibits a warm reddish-brown coloration with subtle variations along its length. The node is positioned at the center, creating the classic arikoshi form—a narrowing at the middle that recalls the waist of an ant, prized for its graceful visual tension. The tip (saki) curves with the gentle upward sweep characteristic of well-balanced scoops, while the handle (kashira) terminates cleanly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Philosophical Reflection**\u003cbr\u003e_Kagura—a dance not performed for an audience, but offered to what cannot be seen._\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe mei \"Kagura\" (神楽, Sacred Dance) draws from the ancient Shinto tradition of ritual performance offered to the kami—the deities of nature, place, and ancestry. Unlike theatrical dance, kagura is not spectacle but communion: movement as prayer, gesture as offering. To name a tea scoop \"Kagura\" is to suggest that the act of making tea itself becomes a sacred dance—each measured movement of the host a form of devotion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis philosophical intersection of Zen and Shinto is characteristic of the Japanese tea tradition, which absorbs influences from both Buddhist contemplation and Shinto reverence for the natural world. The chashaku, as the first utensil the guest examines during the tea gathering, becomes the medium through which this dual spirituality is transmitted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaeda Shodo (前田昌道) served as abbot of Zuiho-in, one of Daitoku-ji's most visited sub-temples. His calligraphic inscription on the box lid and bamboo tube demonstrates the bold, assured brushwork expected of a Zen master. The kaō (personal signature seal) on both the box and tube authenticates the piece within the established lineage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe pairing of the susudake material with the name \"Kagura\" creates a layered meaning: the bamboo itself has undergone a slow transformation through smoke and time, emerging as something entirely different from its original state—much as the kagura dancer transforms through the ritual, becoming a vessel for something greater.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 JAPANESE DESCRIPTION \/ 日本語解説\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 基本情報\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• **書付**: 前田昌道（大徳寺 瑞峰院）\u003cbr\u003e• **銘**: 神楽（かぐら）\u003cbr\u003e• **素材**: 煤竹\u003cbr\u003e• **時代**: 20世紀後半\u003cbr\u003e• **産地**: 京都・大徳寺\u003cbr\u003e• **寸法**: 長さ 18.7cm\u003cbr\u003e• **箱**: 桐箱（蓋裏に「銘 神楽 瑞峰院 前田昌道」墨書・花押）、唐草模様紙箱\u003cbr\u003e• **共筒**: 「神楽」銘、花押入り\u003cbr\u003e• **状態**: 良好〜優良 — 竹に味わいある赤褐色の時代色。紙箱に軽微なくすみ\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 文化的・芸術的解説\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e瑞峰院は大徳寺塔頭の中でも特に著名な寺院であり、天文四年（1535年）にキリシタン大名・大友宗麟によって創建された。重森三玲設計の石庭で知られ、優れた禅の書家を輩出してきた伝統を持つ。瑞峰院住職の手による茶杓は、禅の精神的権威と数世紀にわたる文化的庇護の重みを併せ持つ。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e本品の煤竹は温かみある赤褐色を呈し、長さに沿って微妙な色の変化を見せる。節は中央に位置し、蟻腰の美しい緊張感あるシルエットを形成。先端は手に馴染む優美な反りを描く。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 詳細解説\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e銘「神楽」は、神々に捧げる古代神道の祭祀舞踊に由来する。神楽は見世物ではなく交感である。動きそのものが祈りとなり、所作そのものが奉納となる。茶杓にこの銘を授けることは、茶を点てる行為そのものが神聖な舞であることを示唆する—亭主の一つ一つの所作が、献身の形となる。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e前田昌道は大徳寺瑞峰院の住職を務め、桐箱蓋裏と共筒の墨書には禅僧らしい力強く確かな筆致が見られる。花押が作品の真正性を裏付ける。煤竹の素材と「神楽」の銘の組み合わせは、煙と時間を経て本来の姿から変容した竹が、より大いなるものの器となるという重層的な意味を生み出している。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ SHIPPING \u0026amp; PACKAGING ]\u003cbr\u003e• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days\u003cbr\u003e• Carrier: Japan Post EMS \/ UPS (with tracking)\u003cbr\u003e• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ SHIPPING \u0026amp; PACKAGING ]\u003cbr\u003e• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days\u003cbr\u003e• Carrier: Japan Post EMS \/ UPS (with tracking)\u003cbr\u003e• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61597353902450,"sku":"260123_a_1659","price":892.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m21918127697_1.jpg?v=1771246983","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/chashaku-tea-scoop-kagura-sacred-dance-by-maeda-shodo-daitoku-ji-zuiho-in","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}