{"product_id":"raden-mother-of-pearl-chrysanthemum-naka-tsugi-by-kitajima-shoho-iridescent-shell-mosaic-tea-caddy","title":"Raden Mother-of-Pearl Chrysanthemum Naka-Tsugi by Kitajima Shoho — Iridescent Shell Mosaic Tea Caddy","description":"Experience authentic Japanese lacquerware with this Raden Mother-of-Pearl Chrysanthemum Naka-Tsugi by Kitajima Shoho. This Iridescent Shell Mosaic Tea Caddy serves as a Handmade Urushi Lacquer Art and Japanese Raden Lacquerwork, featuring Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Design and Chrysanthemum Crest Pattern — a must-have for any Japanese Art Collector seeking Shell Mosaic Tea Caddy and Traditional Tea Caddies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Kitajima Shōhō \/ Akio (北島昭峰 \/ 昭夫)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Full-surface raden (mother-of-pearl) inlay on black urushi lacquer; kiku-mon chrysanthemum lid design in fine shell lines\u003cbr\u003e• Motif: Kiku (菊) — chrysanthemum crest on lid; vertical shell mosaic on body\u003cbr\u003e• Form: Naka-tsugi (中次) — straight-walled tea caddy with mid-join\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Contemporary (Heisei period)\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Japan\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: 6.0 cm diameter × 6.8 cm height (2.4\" × 2.7\")\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Tomobako (artist-signed) with outer protective box and cloth wrapper\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Near-mint \/ unused — flawless surface with full iridescence\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a natsume that does not whisper — it shimmers. Kitajima Shōhō has covered the entire cylindrical surface in vertical strips of abalone shell, cut to random widths and set flush against black lacquer. The effect is architectural: a tower of light, a column of captured ocean. As the viewer moves, the shell shifts through blue, green, purple, and pink — a spectrum held in nacre.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe lid presents a different discipline entirely. Against the deep black lacquer surface, thin lines of shell trace a sixteen-petal chrysanthemum — the kiku-mon, Japan's imperial crest. The contrast between the dense, mosaic-like body and the restrained, linear lid creates a dialogue between abundance and precision, nature and geometry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe naka-tsugi form reinforces this geometry. Where the standard natsume curves, the naka-tsugi stands straight — a cylinder divided at the midpoint, lid meeting body in a clean horizontal line. Shōhō's shell work follows this architecture, the vertical strips echoing the container's upright posture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*\"The ocean gave its light to the shell. The shell gave its light to the lacquer. The lacquer holds it all — column of sea, crown of chrysanthemum.\"*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Raden (螺鈿) — The Art of Shell Inlay**: Raden is among the oldest and most labor-intensive decorative techniques in Japanese lacquerwork, dating back to the Nara period (710–794). The process involves cutting thin sheets of abalone, turban shell, or other nacreous shells into precise shapes, setting them into the lacquer surface, and then applying additional lacquer layers to create a seamless integration. The iridescence is natural — a product of the shell's layered crystalline structure refracting light.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Full-Coverage Mosaic Technique**: Most raden work uses shell as accent against lacquer ground. Shōhō's approach inverts this relationship — the shell becomes the ground, the lacquer merely the mortar between tiles. This full-coverage technique (総螺鈿) requires extraordinary material selection and cutting precision. Each strip must be the exact thickness, each gap between strips uniform, and the curved surface demands that flat shell pieces be arranged to follow the cylinder's arc without lifting or cracking.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Kiku-Mon (菊紋)**: The sixteen-petal chrysanthemum has served as the imperial seal of Japan since the Kamakura period. In decorative arts, the kiku-mon carries connotations of longevity, nobility, and autumn. Shōhō's lid design renders it in the thinnest possible raden lines — a technical tour de force that transforms the imperial symbol into something intimate, held in the palm.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Naka-Tsugi Form**: Unlike the curved natsume, the naka-tsugi (中次, \"middle join\") is a straight cylinder divided at its midpoint. This form was introduced into tea practice as an alternative to the more common natsume, and it carries associations with formality and precision. The straight walls provide an ideal canvas for geometric decoration — a fact Shōhō exploits to maximum effect.\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：北島昭峰（昭夫）\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：総螺鈿（鮑貝）・蓋に菊紋の螺鈿線描\u003cbr\u003e• 意匠：菊（蓋に十六弁菊紋）\u003cbr\u003e• 形状：中次\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：現代（平成）\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：日本\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：径6.0cm × 高さ6.8cm\u003cbr\u003e• 付属：共箱・外箱・共布\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：未使用品（完璧な状態）\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【解説】\u003cbr\u003e全面を覆う螺鈿——鮑貝を縦短冊に切り出し、隙間なく黒漆の上に埋め込んだ圧巻の中次です。角度を変えるたびに青、緑、紫、桃色と虹のように色が移ろい、まるで海の光を円筒に閉じ込めたかのよう。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e蓋には一転、細い螺鈿の線だけで十六弁の菊紋を描いています。側面の豪奢な総螺鈿と、蓋の抑制された線描の対比が、北島昭峰の卓越した美的判断を示しています。中次の直線的なフォルムが螺鈿の垂直方向の短冊と呼応し、形と装飾が一体となった工芸の極致です。\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*A cylinder of ocean light, crowned with the emperor's flower — held in the palm, the sea remembers its depth.*","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61584938664306,"sku":"251006_a_1330","price":4197.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m57801991292_1.jpg?v=1770777242","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/raden-mother-of-pearl-chrysanthemum-naka-tsugi-by-kitajima-shoho-iridescent-shell-mosaic-tea-caddy","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}