Morning glory maki-e on a lacquer tea caddy by Suiho lacquer master. Japanese lacquer shaped as a black lacquer vessel for usuchá — gold maki-e art tracing asagao motif tea ceremony presence. Japanese gold maki-e transforms this natsume tea caddy into a tea room seasonal archive. Maki-e lacquer art where urushi lacquerware holds summer's brevity in gold.
🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ] • Artist: Suiho (翠甫) — Nushi (塗師 / lacquer artisan) • Dimensions: H 6.7 cm × Ø 6.7 cm • Weight: Approx. 47 g • Condition: Good condition with minor age-related wear • Includes: Tomobako (artist-signed wooden box) • SKU: 260227_a_2111
🔹 [ CULTURAL INSIGHT ] The morning glory opens before dawn and closes by midday. In chanoyu, it signals summer's peak — a flower that exists fully in its brevity. To place asagao on a tea caddy is to hold that transience in lacquer.
Suiho, designated as nushi (塗師), carries the title of a recognized lacquer craftsman. The gold maki-e technique — sprinkling metallic powder into wet lacquer — creates imagery that lives beneath the surface. It does not sit on top. It emerges from within, the way memory does.
🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE: MAKI-E & THE ASAGAO ] Maki-e is not painting. It is a dialogue between lacquer and metal — the artist works while the urushi is alive, before it sets. Gold powder meets resin in a window of minutes. The trailing vines of asagao require a steady hand and an understanding of organic rhythm.
The morning glory entered Japanese aesthetics through Chinese poetry and took root in tea culture as the embodiment of ichigo ichie — one moment, one meeting. Sen no Rikyū famously grew morning glories in his garden, then cut all but one for a tea gathering. The single bloom said everything.
🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ] • Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days • Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking) • Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
