{"product_id":"matcha-bowl-dragon-motif-overglaze-enamel-chawan-by-shibata-tadashi","title":"Matcha Bowl Dragon Motif Overglaze Enamel Chawan by Shibata Tadashi","description":"Shibata Tadashi's dragon chawan — a matcha bowl where overglaze enamels carry a form that spirals with the density of a carved seal. Bold, dynamic, undamaged. Shared box. The dragon does not threaten; it declares.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ Basic Details ]\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: 柴田正 (Shibata Tadashi)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Polychrome overglaze enamel (色絵), dragon motif\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Contemporary\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Japan\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: D 12 cm × H 7.5 cm\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Shared wooden box (共箱) included\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: No damage; excellent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ Cultural \u0026amp; Artistic Insight ]\u003cbr\u003eThe dragon (ryū) is the most architecturally complex motif in East Asian decorative arts. Unlike Western dragons, the Japanese ryū is a benevolent celestial creature — ruler of water, bringer of rain, guardian of the transformative power that turns carp into dragons as they ascend the waterfall. In the tea room, a dragon chawan carries auspicious weight: strength disciplined by ceremony, power channeled through stillness. The overglaze enamel dragon on this chawan spirals across the bowl's exterior with the full vocabulary of the motif — scaled body, cloud-like mane, grasping claws, and the single central jewel that the dragon perpetually pursues.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColorful overglaze enamels — likely blue, green, red, gold, and white — give the dragon its chromatic vitality, each scale individually worked to maintain the illusion of dimensional form across a curved ceramic surface.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ Deep-Dive Commentary ]\u003cbr\u003eRendering a ryū in overglaze enamel on a chawan presents specific compositional challenges. The dragon's elongated, spiraling body must wrap coherently around the bowl's circumference without appearing crowded or severed by the curvature. The head — the compositional climax — must be positioned to reward the viewer who turns the bowl to find it, creating a moment of discovery within the formal structure of temae.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShibata Tadashi's approach, as indicated by the note's description of a bold, dynamic design, suggests a painterly rather than restrained interpretation: the overglaze palette is used at full chromatic intensity, producing a bowl that announces itself rather than receding. This is a valid and historically well-attested mode in Japanese ceramics — the Imari tradition, the Kutani akatae style, and the polychrome Arita wares all demonstrate the tradition of maximalist decoration as a form of cultural authority.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt D 12 cm × H 7.5 cm, this is a standard-proportion chawan suited to matcha preparation. The absence of any damage — chips, cracks, or restoration — is notable for a piece with bold decorative ambition, where thick enamel applications sometimes craze or flake under thermal cycling. The shared box confirms the maker's confidence in the work as a presentable whole.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor collectors of dragon-motif ceramics or Japanese zodiac-year pieces, this chawan offers a substantial and well-preserved example of the motif at a scale and format suited to both display and use.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【日本語説明】\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 基本情報 ]\u003cbr\u003e• 作者：柴田正\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：色絵（龍文）\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：現代\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：日本\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：口径12cm × 高さ7.5cm\u003cbr\u003e• 箱：共箱付\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：損傷なし。良好な状態\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 文化・芸術的背景 ]\u003cbr\u003e龍は東アジアの装飾芸術における最も力強い吉祥文様であり、茶碗に描かれることで茶の湯の精神と天上の力が交差します。色絵による多彩な龍の表現は、柿右衛門様式や九谷赤絵の伝統に連なる格調ある技法です。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 詳細解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e龍文を茶碗の曲面に展開するには高度な構図力が必要です。本作では動感のある龍が茶碗の外面を巡り、手に取った者に存在感を示します。干支の辰年に限らず、茶事の席で力強い取り合わせとして通年使用できる一碗です。\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":61713999200626,"sku":"260330_a_2585","price":809.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m85871594181_1.jpg?v=1774848557","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/matcha-bowl-dragon-motif-overglaze-enamel-chawan-by-shibata-tadashi","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}