{"product_id":"gold-maki-e-willow-natsume-by-nishimura-koho-black-lacquer-tea-caddy-with-signed-box","title":"Gold Maki-e Willow Natsume by Nishimura Koho - Black Lacquer Tea Caddy with Signed Box","description":"Experience authentic Japanese lacquer artistry with this Gold Maki-e Willow Natsume by Nishimura Koho. This Japanese Tea Caddy serves as a Black Lacquer Maki-e masterpiece and Handmade Tea Ceremony accessory, featuring Gold Willow Design and Urushi Lacquerware craftsmanship—a must-have for any Japanese Art Collector seeking authentic Zen Tea Accessories and Traditional Lacquer Art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Nishimura Koho (西村弘峰)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Gold maki-e (蒔絵) on black urushi lacquer with horizontal ridge texturing\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Contemporary (Heisei period)\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Japan — traditional urushi lacquer lineage\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: Height approx. 7 cm × Width approx. 6.5 cm (2.8\" × 2.6\")\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Tomobako (artist-signed wooden box with red seal)\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Minor surface dust; overall good condition with intact lacquer and gold work\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe natsume occupies a singular position within the tea ceremony. It is the vessel that holds the powdered matcha before it enters the bowl — a threshold between stillness and preparation. Its name derives from the jujube fruit whose shape it echoes, and its presence on the tatami signals the beginning of intention.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis piece follows the form designated by Nintokusai (認得斉), a tea master whose preferred natsume shape emphasized restraint and quiet proportion. Nishimura Koho's interpretation honors that lineage: horizontal ridges create a tactile rhythm across the body, while gold maki-e willow branches descend from the lid with the unhurried grace of branches over water. The mirror-black urushi surface holds the gold as silence holds a voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe willow motif — yanagi (柳) — carries deep resonance in Japanese aesthetic thought. It bends without breaking. It follows the wind without resistance. In chado, the willow speaks to the practitioner's aspiration: presence without rigidity, responsiveness without surrender.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*\"Gold settles on black lacquer the way memory settles on stillness — without weight, yet impossible to remove.\"*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Maki-e Technique**: Maki-e (蒔絵, literally \"sprinkled picture\") is among the most demanding of Japanese lacquer arts. Gold powder is carefully applied onto wet urushi lacquer, then sealed through repeated coats and polishing. Each willow frond on this natsume required multiple passes — the apparent simplicity of the cascading branches belies the hours of controlled execution beneath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Nintokusai's Form (認得斉好写)**: The inscription indicates this natsume was made after the preferred form of Nintokusai, a tea master within the lineage of Japanese chado. \"好写\" (konomi-utsushi) signifies a faithful reproduction of a master's designated shape and proportion. This practice connects contemporary makers to centuries of accumulated aesthetic judgment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Ridged Body**: The horizontal ridges running across the body are not merely decorative. They create a tactile dialogue with the practitioner's fingertips during the tea procedure, offering a subtle grip and a sensory marker of the vessel's presence. The ridges also interact with light, breaking the surface into bands of reflection that animate the otherwise still lacquer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Willow as Seasonal Motif**: In the vocabulary of Japanese tea, utensils are selected to harmonize with the season. The willow — associated with early spring and flowing water — carries an atmosphere of gentle renewal. Its appearance on a natsume invites a particular mood: yielding, contemplative, unhurried.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【基本情報】\u003cbr\u003e• 作家：西村弘峰\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：黒漆地 金蒔絵\u003cbr\u003e• 形状：認得斉好写 柳棗（横筋入り）\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：平成\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：日本\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：高さ約7cm × 幅約6.5cm\u003cbr\u003e• 付属：共箱（署名・朱印あり）\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：微小な埃あり、全体的に良好\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【解説】\u003cbr\u003e本作は蒔絵師・西村弘峰による柳棗です。認得斉好みの形を写したもので、胴部に横筋を巡らせた端正な造形が特徴です。蓋から胴にかけて金蒔絵で描かれた柳の枝が、黒漆の鏡面に静かに垂れ下がります。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e棗は茶道において抹茶を入れる器であり、点前の中で最も親密に手に触れる道具の一つです。横筋の触感、蓋を開ける所作、金と黒の対比——すべてが一服の茶に向かう時間の密度を高めます。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e柳は春の季語であり、水辺のしなやかさを象徴します。茶席においてこの棗を用いることは、空間にやわらかな風を招き入れることに他なりません。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\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*Where gold descends through black, the willow teaches the hand to hold without grasping.*","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61584919462258,"sku":"250618_a_1294","price":1226.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m71935092824_1.jpg?v=1770774577","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/gold-maki-e-willow-natsume-by-nishimura-koho-black-lacquer-tea-caddy-with-signed-box","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}