Hayashi Masaru Fukiyose Maki-e O-Natsume | Spring Autumn Lacquer Tea Caddy

Cherry blossoms and maple leaves, scattered by the same wind — the seasons refusing their separation. This is the logic of fukiyose maki-e, and this caddy by Hayashi Masaru makes the argument with exceptional clarity.

The o-natsume is the largest of the standard natsume forms, and Hayashi Masaru has used the additional surface to deploy a composition of genuine density. Gold cherry blossoms (sakura) and red-copper maple leaves (momiji) are scattered across the black lacquer ground in the fukiyose ("blown together") arrangement — a classical motif that places spring and autumn in the same field, as they exist in memory if not in the calendar.

🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]
▸ Type: O-natsume (large tea caddy) for usucha
▸ Artist: Hayashi Masaru (林勝)
▸ Dimensions: H approx. 7.3 cm × D approx. 7.3 cm
▸ Condition: Excellent. Maki-e surface intact and vibrant; raised gold detail crisp.
▸ Technique: Taka-maki-e (raised maki-e) and togidashi maki-e combined
▸ Interior: Vermilion lacquer with scattered gold foil
▸ Box: Tomobako with blue-striped cord, inscribed "林勝"

The technical range of this piece is notable. Hayashi Masaru combines taka-maki-e — in which lacquer and gold powder are built up in relief, creating actual three-dimensional petals — with togidashi maki-e, where the design is buried beneath additional lacquer layers and then polished to the surface, producing a depth visible only in raking light. Both techniques appear here: the raised petal edges of the cherry blossoms, the matte-polished maple leaves.

The interior is vermilion lacquer scattered with gold foil — an inward complement to the exterior composition. The gesture is private, seen only by the host who opens the caddy to serve.

Fukiyose as a compositional principle is one of Japanese aesthetics' most sophisticated moves: placing things out of their natural temporal sequence to reveal what persists across seasons. Spring and autumn share gold and red. What separates them is only time, which art suspends.

【日本語説明】
林勝作、黒塗春秋吹寄せ蒔絵大棗。黒漆地に金・朱の桜花と紅葉を吹寄せ構図で配した薄茶器。吹寄せとは春と秋の意匠を一画面に共存させる古典的構図で、季節を超えた記憶の風景を表す。技法は高蒔絵と研出蒔絵の併用——立体的な桜花の金蒔絵と、漆の下から研ぎ出した紅葉の微妙な陰影が共存する。内部は朱漆に金箔散らし、蓋を開けた瞬間に現れる小宇宙。共箱付（青縞紐、「林勝」墨書）。寸法：高さ約7.3cm、直径約7.3cm。状態：極美。

▸ SHIPPING & PACKAGING
Each piece is wrapped in traditional Japanese washi paper, cushioned with bubble wrap, and double-boxed for international transit. We ship from Japan via Japan Post EMS or DHL. Estimated delivery: 5–10 business days. Tracking provided. For any customs duties or import taxes, buyers are responsible per their country's regulations.

🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
• Insurance: Included for all shipments
• Note: Import duties and taxes may apply depending on your country's regulations