{"product_id":"kaga-maki-e-natsume-by-nakamura-kyozo-four-gentlemen-with-daitoku-ji-box","title":"Kaga Maki-e Natsume by Nakamura Kyozo - Four Gentlemen with Daitoku-ji Box","description":"Experience authentic Japanese tea ceremony craftsmanship with this Kaga Maki-e Natsume by Nakamura Kyozo. This Japanese Lacquerware Tea Caddy serves as a Gold Maki-e Masterpiece and Multicolor Lacquer Art, featuring Four Gentlemen Design and Daitoku-ji Authentication—a must-have for any Tea Ceremony Collector seeking Kaga Lacquer Art and Authentic Japan Art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Nakamura Kyozo (中村恭蔵)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Kaga maki-e (multicolor gold, red, silver maki-e)\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Contemporary (late 20th century)\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: Height approx. 6.8 cm × Diameter approx. 6.7 cm (2.7\" × 2.6\")\u003cbr\u003e• Weight: 58 g\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Kiwame-bako (authentication box) by Yamaguchi Bansetsu of Murasakino\/Daitoku-ji\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKaga maki-e emerged from the rich lacquer traditions of Ishikawa Prefecture, where artisans refined the technique of applying multicolor metallic powders to urushi lacquer surfaces. Unlike the restrained aesthetics of Kyoto lacquerware, Kaga maki-e embraces abundance — dense compositions in gold, silver, and vermilion that celebrate nature's vitality. This chu-natsume exemplifies that heritage: every surface carries deliberate ornament, yet balance remains.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Four Gentlemen (shikkunshi) — bamboo, plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum — appear across East Asian literati art as symbols of moral virtue. Bamboo bends but does not break. Plum blossoms bloom in winter's harshness. Orchid grows in solitude. Chrysanthemum endures frost. Together they form a seasonal cycle and a Confucian meditation on resilience, humility, and integrity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYamaguchi Bansetsu's kiwame-bako authentication carries weight beyond provenance. As a Daitoku-ji temple tea master, his judgment validates not just authenticity but spiritual suitability for tea ceremony practice. The temple's lineage connects directly to Sen no Rikyu.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*\"The gentlemen do not speak. They witness the seasons, and the seasons witness them.\"*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Kaga Maki-e Legacy**: Kaga maki-e distinguishes itself through technical maximalism — layered metallic powders, togidashi polishing, and kirikane gold-leaf inlay. This natsume employs raised gold bamboo stalks, flat silver orchid leaves, and coral-red plum blossoms that shimmer under changing light. The density of decoration reflects Kaga's courtly patronage history, where lacquerware served as status symbols for samurai families.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Four Gentlemen Symbolism**: The shikkunshi motif originated in Chinese Song dynasty painting and migrated to Japanese tea culture during the Muromachi period. Each plant represents a season and a virtue: bamboo (summer, integrity), plum (winter, perseverance), orchid (spring, humility), chrysanthemum (autumn, nobility). Their presence on a tea caddy transforms utilitarian ritual into philosophical practice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Technical Achievement**: Nakamura Kyozo's execution demonstrates mastery of both hiramaki-e (flat) and takamaki-e (raised) techniques. The chrysanthemum petals use nashiji — flakes of gold suspended in translucent lacquer — to produce luminous depth. Such work requires decades of apprenticeship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Daitoku-ji Authentication**: Yamaguchi Bansetsu's kiwame-bako elevates this natsume from craft to sacred implement. Daitoku-ji has served as arbiter of tea ceremony aesthetics for four centuries, and this endorsement confirms the piece is suitable for formal tea gatherings.\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：中村恭蔵\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：加賀蒔絵（金・銀・朱の多彩蒔絵）\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：現代（20世紀後期）\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：石川県加賀\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：高さ約6.8cm × 直径約6.7cm\u003cbr\u003e• 重さ：約58g\u003cbr\u003e• 箱：紫野 山口萬拙極め箱\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：良好\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【解説】\u003cbr\u003e加賀蒔絵は石川県の漆芸伝統であり、金銀朱を惜しみなく用いる華やかさが特徴です。この中棗は四君子（竹・梅・蘭・菊）を全面に描き、儒教的徳目と四季を表現しています。竹は冬の試練に耐え、梅は厳寒に咲き、蘭は孤高を保ち、菊は晩秋に香ります。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e大徳寺ゆかりの山口萬拙による極め箱は、単なる鑑定を超えた茶の湯における「格」の証明です。千利休の流れを汲む禅寺の茶人が認めた道具として、茶会での使用に相応しい品位を持ちます。\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*The gentlemen wait in silence, ready to serve tea.*","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61580164497778,"sku":"241223-a-0903","price":1279.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m50118320347_1.jpg?v=1770685957","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/kaga-maki-e-natsume-by-nakamura-kyozo-four-gentlemen-with-daitoku-ji-box","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}