{"product_id":"dojo-soko-white-lacquer-genji-cart-wheel-maki-e-ohira-natsume-tea-caddy","title":"Dojo Soko White Lacquer Genji Cart Wheel Maki-e Ohira Natsume Tea Caddy","description":"Experience authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony with this Antique Tea Caddy. This Matcha Container serves as a Lacquerware Collectible and Maki-e Natsume, featuring Genji Cart Wheels and Mother-of-Pearl Inlay—a must-have for any Collector seeking Japanese Lacquer Art and Traditional Tea Ware.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Dojo Soko (道場宗廣)\u003cbr\u003e• Lacquer School: Contemporary Japanese lacquer tradition\u003cbr\u003e• Form: Ohira-natsume (大平棗, flat tea caddy)\u003cbr\u003e• Base Material: White lacquer (shiro-urushi, 白漆)\u003cbr\u003e• Decoration: Genji-guruma (源氏車, Genji cart wheels) in gold maki-e and raden (螺鈿, mother-of-pearl inlay)\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: H: 5.7cm, Diameter: 8.6cm\u003cbr\u003e• Period: 2000-2009\u003cbr\u003e• Provenance: Japan\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent—glossy surface with vibrant iridescence\u003cbr\u003e• Authentication: Signed tomobako (artist-inscribed wooden box)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis ohira-natsume embodies the literary refinement of Heian court culture. The genji-guruma motif—ox-cart wheels half-submerged in flowing water—references The Tale of Genji, where aristocratic processions moved through Kyoto's waterways. White lacquer, rare and luminous, evokes the moon's glow on rippling streams.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe artist employs raden (mother-of-pearl) for the wheel hubs, creating iridescent focal points that shift from violet to gold as light moves across the surface. Gold maki-e traces the spokes and water flow with calligraphic precision. The ohira form—wide and flat—is specifically used in summer tea gatherings, its openness echoing the season's spaciousness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDojo Soko's work balances classical iconography with contemporary clarity. The white lacquer base, achieved through multiple layers of urushi mixed with ground shell, reveals a warm honey-caramel undertone beneath its high gloss. This is not decoration—it is a meditation on impermanence and elegance frozen in lacquer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Genji-Guruma Motif**: The ox-cart wheel appears throughout Japanese art as a symbol of Heian aristocracy. In The Tale of Genji, these carts transported nobles through the capital, their wheels often half-hidden in water during spring floods. The partial submersion suggests the passage of time—what was once grand now recedes into memory. The flowing water (ryusui-mon, 流水文) amplifies this theme, depicting the Buddhist concept of mujo (無常, impermanence).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Raden Technique**: Mother-of-pearl inlay (raden, 螺鈿) dates back to the Nara period (710-794). Thin shell fragments are cut, polished, and embedded into wet lacquer, then sealed with additional layers. The iridescence comes from the shell's nacreous structure—layers of aragonite crystals that diffract light. In this piece, raden appears only at the wheel hubs, creating concentrated points of luminosity that draw the eye inward.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**White Lacquer (Shiro-Urushi)**: White lacquer is achieved by mixing raw urushi sap with ground clam shell powder (gofun, 胡粉). The result is a warm, translucent surface with depth—not the stark white of modern paint, but a living material that ages gracefully. This technique requires exceptional skill, as white lacquer reveals every imperfection during application.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Ohira Form**: The ohira-natsume is wider and flatter than standard natsume, designed for summer tea gatherings (natsu no chakai, 夏の茶会). Its low profile allows heat to dissipate quickly, preventing the matcha powder from absorbing moisture. Tea masters select ohira-natsume during the ro season (炉, sunken hearth, November-April) when the tea room is warmer and humidity control is critical.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Artist's Intention**: Dojo Soko studied under the lineage of Wajima lacquer masters but developed a distinct voice—classical motifs rendered with modern restraint. The tomobako inscription reads: 源氏車 白漆 大平 宗廣 (Genji Cart, White Lacquer, Ohira, Soko), followed by the artist's red seal. The calligraphy itself is a statement of confidence—each stroke deliberate, no flourishes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【基本情報】\u003cbr\u003e• 作家: 道場宗廣\u003cbr\u003e• 種類: 大平棗(おおひらなつめ)\u003cbr\u003e• 技法: 白漆地に源氏車蒔絵、螺鈿(らでん)象嵌\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法: 高さ5.7cm、直径8.6cm\u003cbr\u003e• 年代: 2000年代\u003cbr\u003e• 共箱: あり(作家署名・印)\u003cbr\u003e• 状態: 優良—光沢ある表面、螺鈿の輝き良好\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【解説】\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eこの大平棗は、平安王朝文化の雅を現代に伝える作品です。源氏車(げんじぐるま)とは、牛車の車輪を意匠化した文様で、『源氏物語』に登場する貴族の乗り物に由来します。流水文(りゅうすいもん)の中に半ば沈む車輪は、栄華の儚さ、無常観を象徴します。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e白漆(しろうるし)は、生漆に胡粉(ごふん、蛤の殻を粉砕したもの)を混ぜて作られる特別な技法です。真っ白ではなく、温かみのある蜂蜜色を帯びた半透明の仕上がりが特徴で、経年変化によってさらに深みを増します。この技法は高度な技術を要し、わずかな塗りムラも目立つため、熟練の職人のみが扱えます。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e螺鈿(らでん)は、貝殻の真珠層を薄く削り、漆地に埋め込む装飾技法です。この作品では、車輪の中心部に小さな螺鈿片が配され、光の角度によって虹色に輝きます。金蒔絵で描かれた車輪の輻(や)と流水の線は、書道の筆致のような精密さを持ちます。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e大平棗は、通常の棗よりも幅広く低い形状をしており、夏の茶会(夏の炉、5月~10月)で使用されます。この形は熱を素早く逃がし、抹茶が湿気を吸うのを防ぐ実用的な工夫です。道場宗廣は、輪島塗の伝統を学びながらも、古典的な意匠を現代的な簡潔さで表現する独自の作風を確立しました。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e共箱の書付には「源氏車 白漆 大平 宗廣」と記され、作家の朱印が押されています。この筆致そのものが、作家の自信と美意識を物語ります。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ SHIPPING \u0026amp; PACKAGING ]\u003cbr\u003e\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*Wheels turn in flowing water, carrying moonlight toward forgetting.*","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61577453404530,"sku":"241123-a-0761","price":1823.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/241123-a-0761_1.jpg?v=1770624777","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/dojo-soko-white-lacquer-genji-cart-wheel-maki-e-ohira-natsume-tea-caddy","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}