Fans open. Cranes stand. Gold traces the space between them. This Kyo-yaki tea bowl carries a composition that belongs to the court imagination of Kyoto ceramics — formal yet alive, the polychrome enamel and gold overglaze distributed across a cream ground with the precision of a painter who also understands volume. Hashimoto Shiu (橋本紫雲) worked in the refined iro-e tradition where the bowl becomes a surface for pictorial art without losing its identity as a vessel.
[ BASIC DETAILS ] • Artist: Hashimoto Shiu (橋本紫雲造) • Ware: Kyo-yaki (京焼), iro-e (色絵) polychrome enamel with gold • Dimensions: height approximately 7.5 cm, width approximately 12 cm, weight approximately 212 g • Condition: Good vintage condition • Provenance: Signed wooden box (tomobako) included
[ CULTURAL CONTEXT ] Kyoto ceramics emerged as an aristocratic alternative to the austere wabi aesthetic of Raku. Where Raku pursued reduction, Kyo-yaki pursued completion — refined surfaces, pictorial decoration, courtly motifs. The iro-e technique layers colored enamels over a fired glaze and fires again at lower temperature; the gold is applied last. Fans (sensu) and cranes (tsuru) are among the most auspicious combinations in Japanese visual culture — associated with longevity, celebration, and the formality appropriate to the tea gathering.
[ DEEP DIVE ] The exterior presents a panoramic composition: fans open at various angles, their interiors painted with autumn maple, wisteria, and wave patterns. A large golden circle occupies the back face — possibly a stylized moon or a circular decorative motif. Red lacquer-red enamel punctuates the composition at the fans' central panels. The interior continues the decoration partway down, with gold wave and cloud patterns visible from above. The rim carries a gold line band. The ground color is warm cream — not pure white — which softens the overall effect and keeps the decoration from becoming harsh.
🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ] • Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days • Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking) • Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
