Sunrise Maki-e Natsume Tea Caddy by Shotoukei - Gold Lacquer with Vermilion Sun

Experience authentic Japanese lacquer art with this Sunrise Maki-e Natsume. This Japanese Tea Caddy serves as a Shotoukei Artist Lacquerware and Etchu Toyama Craft, featuring Gold Vermilion Lacquer artistry and Nashiji Lacquer tradition—a must-have for any Art Collector seeking Urushi Lacquerware and Auspicious Motif.

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🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]

• Artist: Shotoukei (尚涛慶), lacquer artist from Etchu (Toyama Prefecture)
• Technique: Takamaki-e, togidashi maki-e, nashiji, vermilion lacquer
• Era: Contemporary (Heisei–Reiwa period)
• Origin: Etchu (Toyama), Japan
• Dimensions: Height approx. 7.3 cm, Diameter approx. 7.4 cm (2.9" × 2.9")
• Box: Inscribed tomobako reading "Hinode Kaho no Zu" with artist seal
• Condition: Excellent — no notable scratches or damage. Box shows slight age-toning

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🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]

The natsume is the standard tea caddy form for usucha (thin tea) in Japanese tea ceremony. Its clean, swelling shape — named after the jujube fruit it resembles — provides a contained surface for lacquer artists to work within strict dimensional limits. The challenge is to create a complete pictorial world on a vessel barely larger than one's fist.

Shotoukei's composition here is "Hinode Kaho no Zu" — sunrise over reeds, a classical auspicious motif drawn from Japanese painting tradition. The imagery carries deep cultural resonance: the rising sun symbolizes renewal, vitality, and the dawning of awareness. In tea context, this natsume would be particularly appropriate for New Year's gatherings (hatsu-gamakai) or celebrations marking new beginnings.

*"The sun has not yet fully risen — all possibility, nothing concluded."*

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🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]

**The Maki-e Technique**: The lid is the compositional anchor — gold togidashi and takamaki-e clouds frame a vermilion sun rendered in a thick, confident semicircle that rises above the horizon line. The transition from lid to body is handled with intelligence: the gold nashiji ground creates a luminous, atmospheric haze suggesting the diffused light of early morning.

**Material Qualities**: The fine-line wave maki-e (senbyou) on the lower body evokes the sea surface catching first rays. The interior nashiji finish indicates commitment to quality throughout — even unseen surfaces receive proper treatment.

**Collector Significance**: Toyama (Etchu) has a long but often overlooked lacquer tradition. Shotoukei's work demonstrates the refined skill base of that region. The overall effect is of a single atmospheric moment captured in lacquer.

**Provenance**: The tomobako inscription reads "日出蒲穂之図" with the notation "越中 尚涛慶造" and a vermilion seal, providing full documentation.

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]

【基本情報】
• 作家：尚涛慶
• 技法：高蒔絵・研出蒔絵・梨地・朱漆
• 時代：現代（平成〜令和）
• 産地：越中（富山）
• 寸法：高さ約7.3cm、径約7.4cm
• 付属：共箱（「日出蒲穂之図」書付・朱印あり）
• 状態：良好（目立つ傷汚れなし）

【解説】
越中の漆芸家・尚涛慶による日の出蒔絵棗。蓋は黒漆地に金蒔絵の雲と朱漆の太陽が昇る構図で、胴部は金梨地のグラデーションに波模様の線蒔絵が施されています。内部は梨地仕上げ。「日出蒲穂之図」の題が示す通り、日の出と蒲穂を組み合わせた吉祥の図案で、初釜や慶事の席に相応しい格調を持ちます。

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🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials

*In tea practice, the natsume is the last object the guest examines — the final impression before the gathering ends. This one leaves you with the image of a sun that has not yet fully risen.*