{"product_id":"shinsha-copper-red-sake-cup-by-kawai-kanjiro-mingei-guinomi-with-signed-kiribako","title":"Shinsha Copper-Red Sake Cup by Kawai Kanjiro Mingei Guinomi with Signed Kiribako","description":"Experience Authentic Japan Art with this Kawai Kanjiro Sake Cup. This Shinsha Copper Red Guinomi serves as a Mingei Movement Sake Cup and Japanese Pottery Guinomi, featuring Carved Wave Pattern and Signed Kiribako Box—a must-have for any Japanese Art Collector seeking Vintage Showa Sake Ware and Mingei Folk Craft pieces.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Kawai Kanjiro (河井寛次郎, 1890–1966)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Shinsha (辰砂) copper-red reduction glaze with crystalline white window-variation (yohen); hand-carved sculptural exterior\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Mid-20th century, Showa period (estimated 1940s–1960s)\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Kyoto, Japan — Kawai's Gojozaka kiln (五条坂)\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: Height approx. 5.5 cm, Diameter approx. 8.4 cm\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Original signed kiribako (paulownia wood box) with sumi calligraphy \"寛\" (Kan) and vermilion artist seal; accompanied by original tomogire silk wrapping cloth\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent vintage condition. No chips, cracks, or repairs. Natural kiln variation and glaze pooling are intrinsic to the work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003eHistorical Context: Kawai Kanjiro stands among the founding triumvirate of the Mingei (民芸) folk craft movement alongside Yanagi Soetsu and Hamada Shoji. Trained at the Tokyo Higher Technical School and the Kyoto Ceramic Research Institute, Kawai transformed his Gojozaka studio into one of the most influential ceramic workshops of twentieth-century Japan. He famously declined the Order of Cultural Merit and the title of Living National Treasure, choosing instead to remain anonymous within his work — a philosophical stance that defines Mingei aesthetics. His shinsha (copper-red) glaze became one of his signature achievements, fired in his climbing kiln (noborigama) at Gojozaka.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTechnique \u0026amp; Aesthetic: Shinsha glaze, derived from copper oxide and fired in a precisely controlled reduction atmosphere, yields the rich oxblood-to-cinnabar tones seen here. The white crystalline patches — yohen (窯変, kiln transmutation) — appear like drifting snow against the copper red, an effect impossible to replicate by intention. The exterior carries Kawai's distinctive carved (kakiotoshi) wave motif, sculpted while the clay was leather-hard, creating a tactile rhythm that catches the glaze in pooled rivulets along each ridge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePhilosophical Reflection: The copper red glows like embers beneath fallen snow — warmth held quietly inside winter's stillness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003eShinsha (辰砂), known in the West as sang de boeuf or copper red, is among the most technically demanding glazes in the East Asian ceramic tradition. Originating in Jingdezhen during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the technique reached Japan through Korean intermediaries and was profoundly reinterpreted by Mingei potters in the twentieth century. Kawai Kanjiro's mastery of shinsha is considered foundational to its modern Japanese expression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe glaze depends on the volatility of copper in a reduction kiln atmosphere. When oxygen is starved during firing, copper oxide reduces to colloidal copper metal suspended in the glass matrix — producing the deep red. Slight variations in temperature or atmosphere cause the copper to re-oxidize in pockets, creating the white crystalline windows seen across this guinomi's surface. No two pieces fire alike; the result is always a singular collaboration between maker and kiln.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor collectors, Kawai's sake vessels carry particular weight. Unlike his celebrated tsubo and large hakeme bowls displayed in museums from the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial House (Kyoto) to the Japan Folk Crafts Museum (Tokyo), his guinomi and small drinking vessels were made in limited numbers and rarely surface with their original signed kiribako intact. The carved wave motif on this piece reflects his interest in dynamic, hand-sculpted surfaces that resist mechanical perfection — a direct expression of Mingei philosophy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe original kiribako bears Kawai's distinctive sumi-written character \"寛\" (Kan, from Kanjiro) and his vermilion seal, the standard authentication format used during his lifetime at the Gojozaka studio. The accompanying tomogire silk cloth, often discarded over generations, survives here intact — significantly elevating the collectible value.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn contemporary practice, this guinomi remains fully functional. Used for premium junmai-daiginjo or aged koshu, the porous footring will gradually take on a subtle patina (keshiki) over years of use — a quiet continuation of the dialogue Kawai began at his kiln seventy years ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 基本情報 ]\u003cbr\u003e• 作家: 河井寛次郎（かわい かんじろう, 1890–1966）\u003cbr\u003e• 技法: 辰砂釉（銅赤還元釉）に白い結晶状の窯変、手彫りによる波文様の刻線\u003cbr\u003e• 年代: 昭和期（推定1940年代〜1960年代）\u003cbr\u003e• 産地: 京都・五条坂窯\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法: 高さ約5.5cm、口径約8.4cm\u003cbr\u003e• 共箱: 桐製共箱、蓋表に「寛」の墨書と朱印あり。共布付き\u003cbr\u003e• 状態: 良好。欠け・割れ・直しなし。釉だまり・窯変は作品本来の景色\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 文化的・芸術的解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e河井寛次郎は柳宗悦・濱田庄司と並ぶ民芸運動の中心人物であり、五条鐘鋳釜の工房から二十世紀日本陶芸の方向を決定づけた巨匠の一人です。文化勲章と人間国宝の指定を辞退し、無名の職人として作陶に徹した姿勢は、民芸思想そのものを体現しています。本作の辰砂釉は、銅の還元焼成によって深紅から朱赤までの幅広い発色を見せ、雪片のように散る白い窯変が独特の景色を生み出しています。胴部には掻き落としによる波文が刻まれ、釉が稜線に溜まることで陰影の律動が浮かび上がります。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e哲学的余韻: 雪の下に灯る熾火のように、辰砂の赤が静かに息づいている。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 上級鑑賞ノート ]\u003cbr\u003e辰砂釉は元・明期の景徳鎮に起源を持ち、東アジア陶芸の中で最も焼成難度が高い釉の一つとされます。日本では二十世紀の民芸運動を通じて再解釈され、寛次郎はその近代日本的表現の礎を築きました。銅の還元発色は窯内雰囲気のわずかな差で大きく変化し、本作のように白い結晶窓が現れるのは再酸化が部分的に起こった証で、二度と同じものは焼けません。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e寛次郎の盃・ぐい呑みは、美術館で目にする壺や大鉢と比べて作例が少なく、共箱・共布が完全に揃って市場に出ることは稀です。共箱の「寛」の墨書と朱印は五条坂時代の標準的な極めの形式であり、本作はその全てを備えています。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e現代の用途としても、純米大吟醸や古酒を注げば高台に景色が育ち、寛次郎が窯前で始めた対話を、所有者が静かに継いでいくことになります。\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":61894496289138,"sku":"260602_a_2935","price":2043.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m64363842745_1.jpg?v=1780360972","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/shinsha-copper-red-sake-cup-by-kawai-kanjiro-mingei-guinomi-with-signed-kiribako","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}