Kiyomizu-yaki Grape Pattern Guinomi by Tosho - Blue White Sake Cup with Karako Motif

Experience authentic Japanese porcelain with this Kiyomizu-yaki Grape Pattern Guinomi. This Kyoto Blue White Sake Cup serves as a Traditional Karako Design and Sometsuke Porcelain Art, featuring Interior Exterior Grape Painting and Auspicious Abundance Motif—a must-have for any Art Collector seeking Heian Kyo-yaki Heritage and Japanese Sake Accessories.

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🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]

• Artist: Tosho (陶象) — Heian Kiyomizu-yaki tradition
• Technique: Sometsuke (染付) — cobalt blue underglaze painting on porcelain
• Era: Contemporary (Showa–Heisei period)
• Origin: Kyoto, Japan (Kiyomizu-yaki / 清水焼)
• Dimensions: Diameter approx. 6.5 cm, Height approx. 5.5 cm
• Box: Signed paulownia wood box — "内外ぶどう ぐい呑 平安 陶象造"
• Condition: Unused — original Kiyomizu-yaki Cooperative sticker intact

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🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]

The grape-and-child motif (budō ni karako) ranks among the most auspicious designs in East Asian decorative arts. Grapes, with their abundant clusters, symbolize fertility and prosperity. The karako — Chinese children playing among the vines — add layers of meaning: joy, continuation of lineage, and the carefree vitality of youth. To paint this motif on both the interior and exterior of a small guinomi demands extraordinary brush control.

Kiyomizu-yaki represents Kyoto's ceramic identity — refined, technically accomplished, and steeped in centuries of imperial patronage. The "Heian" (平安) prefix in the box inscription references the old name for Kyoto, signaling this piece's connection to the city's deepest craft traditions. The intact cooperative sticker confirms this cup has never been used, preserved in its original state.

*"Abundance painted inside and out — the cup offers its gift whether full or empty."*

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🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]

**The Budō ni Karako Tradition**: This motif traveled from China to Japan along with Buddhist art and Confucian ideals. In Japanese ceramics, it became a favorite subject for sometsuke painters who could demonstrate their skill through the complex interplay of curving vines, rounded grapes, and animated figures. The composition requires balancing botanical accuracy with narrative charm — a test of the artist's dual capability.

**Interior-Exterior Painting**: The designation "内外" (naigai — inside and outside) on the box is significant. Painting the interior of a small cup requires specialized long-handled brushes and exceptional spatial awareness. The artist must work blind to the exterior while painting inside, yet both surfaces must harmonize when the cup is viewed from any angle. This doubles the technical challenge and the visual reward.

**Kiyomizu-yaki Heritage**: Kiyomizu-yaki has been produced in the Gojozaka and Kiyomizu temple district of Kyoto since the early Edo period. Unlike regional wares defined by a single style, Kiyomizu-yaki encompasses multiple techniques — from rustic Raku to refined porcelain sometsuke. This piece represents the porcelain tradition at its most accomplished.

**Unused Condition**: The preservation of the cooperative sticker — a small gold label from the Kyoto Kiyomizu-yaki Cooperative Association — indicates this cup was stored as received from the kiln. For collectors, unused condition with original packaging represents the ideal state of preservation.

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]

【基本情報】
• 作家：陶象（平安・清水焼）
• 技法：染付（呉須）内外ぶどう唐子文
• 時代：現代（昭和〜平成）
• 産地：京都（清水焼）
• 寸法：口径約6.5cm、高さ約5.5cm
• 付属：共箱
• 状態：未使用（清水焼協同組合シール残存）

【解説】
京都清水焼の陶象による染付ぐい呑。内外に葡萄唐子文を精緻に描く。内側には唐子が葡萄の中で遊ぶ構図を、外側には蔓と葡萄の房を配し、小さな器面に豊穣の世界を展開する。清水焼協同組合のシールが残る未使用品。共箱の「平安」の記載が京都の伝統への矜持を示す。

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🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials

*Children play among endless vines — inside the cup, outside the cup, abundance has no boundary.*