{"product_id":"soko-moon-and-swallow-gold-maki-e-chu-natsume-with-kakitsuke-box","title":"Sōkō Moon and Swallow Gold Maki-e Chu-Natsume with Kakitsuke Box","description":"A japanese tea caddy shaped as a chu-natsume caddy in black lacquer caddy silence — Sōkō's gold maki-e natsume renders the moon swallow motif in gold against night. This maki-e lacquerware vessel belongs to chado tea ceremony lineage: a signed tea vessel bearing the artist's kaō cipher. The urushi lacquer art is restrained, the swallow maki-e art tracing flight paths beneath a crescent moon. Japanese lacquer at this level becomes tsubame moon art — seasonal, calligraphic, alive. A wabi sabi decor object that earns its place in the tearoom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Sōkō (宗衡) — with kaō (花押 \/ cipher mark)\u003cbr\u003e• Type: Kuro chu-natsume (black medium tea caddy)\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: H 7.0 cm × W 6.7 cm\u003cbr\u003e• Exterior: Black urushi lacquer with gold maki-e\u003cbr\u003e• Motif: Crescent moon with flying swallows (tsubame)\u003cbr\u003e• Provenance: Kakitsuke (書付) inscription on tomobako\u003cbr\u003e• Includes: Signed wooden storage box with inscription\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent — consistent with careful use in tea practice\u003cbr\u003e• SKU: 260227_a_2106\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003eThe swallow arrives in Japan in late spring. By early summer it is everywhere — darting under eaves, skimming rice paddies at dusk. Paired with the crescent moon, tsubame become nocturnal travelers, their silhouettes cutting across a silver arc. This combination speaks to passage: the birds that cross oceans, the moon that wanes and returns.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn chanoyu, a host selects utensils that echo the season without announcing it. A tsubame-and-moon natsume enters the tearoom in May or June, when the evening air still holds the memory of spring.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE: THE WORK ]\u003cbr\u003eSōkō's authorship is confirmed by kaō — the personal cipher mark that functions as both signature and seal. The kakitsuke inscription on the tomobako adds a further layer of provenance, indicating recognition within a tea lineage. These are not decorative gestures; they are statements of accountability.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe maki-e composition is deliberately spare. A crescent moon occupies the upper body of the natsume, rendered in gold with a single clean arc. Below and around it, two or three swallows are caught in mid-flight — their wings angled, bodies compressed into quick gold strokes. The black lacquer ground does the rest, providing depth and atmosphere that the gold merely punctuates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe chu-natsume form — slightly taller and narrower than the maru-natsume — gives the composition vertical space. The swallows gain altitude. The moon gains sky. At 7 cm tall, this is a vessel sized for koicha (thick tea) practice, where the natsume is handled with particular deliberation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 日本語の説明 ]\u003cbr\u003e宗衡作、月燕文蒔絵の黒中棗です。金蒔絵で三日月と飛翔する燕を描いた、晩春から初夏の茶席にふさわしい茶道具。花押あり、書付共箱付き。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e高さ約7cm、幅約6.7cm。黒漆地に金で描かれた構図は抑制が利いています——三日月の弧は一筆で引かれ、燕は数筆の金で飛翔の瞬間を捉えています。中棗の縦長の形が構図に空間を与え、燕に高さを、月に空を与えます。花押と書付は茶の湯の系譜における作家の位置を示すものです。\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":61623604674930,"sku":"260227_a_2106","price":1795.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m20698658901_1.jpg?v=1772160261","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/soko-moon-and-swallow-gold-maki-e-chu-natsume-with-kakitsuke-box","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}