Ishii Ryuho — Sokuchusai Preference Budding Willow Maki-e O-Natsume | Urasenke Tea Caddy

A black lacquer o-natsume carrying the formal designation of Sokuchusai, the fourteenth head of the Omotesenke school. The budding willow rendered in gold maki-e across the body is not decoration — it is a declaration of season, of school, of continuity.

🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]
- Artist/Maker: Ishii Ryuho (石井隆鳳)
- Title: Sokuchusai Preference Budding Willow Maki-e O-Natsume (即中斎好 芽張柳蒔絵 大棗)
- Dimensions: H approx. 7 cm, diameter approx. 7.2 cm
- Condition: Very good. Lacquer surface intact with clear maki-e. Lid fits with appropriate resistance.
- Comes with: Tomobako (signed wooden storage box) with clear inscription reading 即中斎好 and artist signature with kao

— Cultural Insight —
The natsume — named for the jujube fruit whose silhouette it echoes — is the most intimate of tea caddies. Held in the palm, passed between hands, it carries tea from preparation to bowl with a quietness that larger vessels cannot achieve. When a natsume bears the designation of a grand master's preference (好み物), it enters a different register entirely: it becomes an artifact of school lineage, not merely of craft.

Sokuchusai (即中斎), the fourteenth iemoto of the Omotesenke school who passed in 1979, was prolific in his preferred pieces. Each one was vetted against the aesthetic standards of a living tradition. The budding willow motif — willows in the moment before full leaf — signals early spring, the beginning of a new tea season. It is a motif of potential rather than arrival.

— Deep-Dive Observation —
The gold maki-e on this piece maintains a quality of line that speaks to Ryuho's training. Willow buds are individually rendered — not as a pattern but as individual forms, each slightly distinct in angle and weight. The kinpaku-chirashi interior (scattered gold leaf) creates a warm, luminous cavity that catches the light when the lid is lifted, a moment of interior weather.

The tomobako carries its inscriptions without ambiguity. The designation 即中斎好 and the artist's signature with clear kao establish provenance in a form that the tea world recognizes and honors. This is a piece that has entered the archive of a school.

🔹 [ 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

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石井隆鳳による即中斎好みの芽張柳蒔絵大棗。表千家十四代即中斎のお好み物として制作された格式ある茶器です。黒漆地に金蒔絵で芽張柳を丁寧に描き、内部は金箔散らしで豪華に仕上げられています。共箱には「即中斎好」の書付と作者の銘・落款が明瞭に記されており、来歴が明確です。早春の気配を帯びた柳の芽が、茶の湯の季節感を静かに伝えます。