{"product_id":"lacquer-tea-caddy-natsume-paulownia-bamboo-maki-e-by-suzuki-shoei","title":"Lacquer Tea Caddy Natsume Paulownia Bamboo Maki-e by Suzuki Shoei","description":"Suzuki Shōei's saiji-gata natsume holds its silence under an all-over gold maki-e of paulownia and bamboo — Kaga lacquer discipline made visible. The nashiji lid gleams like a winter sky at first light. Pristine condition, shared box. Presence without performance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ Basic Details ]\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: 鈴木松栄 (Suzuki Shōei)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: All-over gold maki-e (全面蒔絵), paulownia-bamboo motif; nashiji lid; saiji-gata (flat-lid) form\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Contemporary\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan (Kaga-chinkin \/ Wajima maki-e tradition)\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: H 7.7 cm × D 6.8 cm\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Shared wooden box (共箱) included\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Pristine; unused\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ Cultural \u0026amp; Artistic Insight ]\u003cbr\u003eThe paulownia (kiri) and bamboo together form one of Japan's most elevated heraldic combinations: paulownia is the crest of the Imperial Household and the Prime Minister's office; bamboo represents strength through flexibility. Their pairing on a tea caddy from Kaga — historically Japan's wealthiest domain and the birthplace of Kaga-chinkin gold-engraved lacquer — places this natsume in a lineage of objects made to signal both cultural literacy and aesthetic refinement. The saiji-gata (flat or shallow-lid) form is favored in formal tea contexts for its stability when set on the tatami.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll-over gold maki-e — where the decoration covers the entire surface rather than appearing as isolated motifs against plain ground — requires exceptional compositional discipline: the design must breathe despite full coverage, creating rhythm and rest within a field of continuous gold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ Deep-Dive Commentary ]\u003cbr\u003eKaga lacquer traces its origins to the patronage of the Maeda clan, lords of the Kaga domain from the sixteenth century. With an assessed rice yield second only to the Tokugawa shogunate, the Maeda lords sponsored craft at a level that produced some of Japan's most technically advanced lacquerware. The tradition they established — emphasizing delicacy of motif, depth of lacquer layers, and the intelligent use of gold — continues in the work of contemporary craftsmen like Suzuki Shōei.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe all-over gold maki-e technique on this natsume is technically distinguished. Standard maki-e places gold motifs against a plain or nashiji ground; all-over maki-e requires the design to function as both figure and ground simultaneously, with the craftsman using tonal variations in gold density and particle size to create spatial depth without the contrast of an undecorated field. The paulownia leaves and bamboo stems must remain legible despite the absence of negative space — a test of compositional control that most maki-e practitioners do not attempt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe nashiji lid interior — gold particles of irregular size suspended at varying depths in transparent lacquer — complements the exterior without repeating it, offering a different quality of gold: atmospheric rather than pictorial. The effect when the lid is removed during temae is an unexpected luminosity, a moment of disclosure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt H 7.7 cm × D 6.8 cm, the proportions are standard for the saiji-gata natsume used with thin tea (usucha). Pristine, unused condition ensures that all surface qualities — the depth of the lacquer, the precision of the gold — are fully intact.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【日本語説明】\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 基本情報 ]\u003cbr\u003e• 作者：鈴木松栄\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：全面金蒔絵（桐竹文）、梨子地蓋、宰治形\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：現代\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：加賀（石川県）\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：高さ7.7cm × 径6.8cm\u003cbr\u003e• 箱：共箱付\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：未使用品。完全な美品\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 文化・芸術的背景 ]\u003cbr\u003e桐竹文は皇室の紋章と強靭さの象徴を組み合わせた最高の吉祥文様。加賀の地で生まれた蒔絵伝統の中で、全面金蒔絵はその技術の頂点を示す技法です。梨子地蓋裏との組み合わせが格調を一層高めています。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 詳細解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e加賀藩前田家の庇護のもとで発展した加賀蒔絵は、金の繊細な使い方と意匠の品格において日本最高峰の漆芸伝統の一つです。鈴木松栄による全面金蒔絵棗は、その伝統を現代に体現する逸品。未使用の完全な状態で共箱付き、茶道家・コレクター双方に最適です。\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","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61713998971250,"sku":"260330_a_2584","price":1420.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m95091519174_1.jpg?v=1774848492","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/lacquer-tea-caddy-natsume-paulownia-bamboo-maki-e-by-suzuki-shoei","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}