A hira-natsume (flat tea caddy) of exceptional technical accomplishment by Tamai Shinsaku — the lid surface bearing a full cherry tree in dense gold maki-e, the interior finished in gold nashiji ground with scattered blossoms, the underside of the lid decorated in continuation. Comes in the artist's original tomobako, inscribed 「平棗 桜 信」.
🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ] • Artist: Tamai Shinsaku (玉井信作) • Technique: Gold maki-e on black urushi lacquer; gold nashiji interior • Motif: Sakura — full cherry tree with cascading blossoms • Dimensions: H. approx. 5.5 cm × Dia. approx. 7.9 cm • Condition: Excellent • Provenance: Original tomobako inscribed by artist • SKU: 260228_a_2167
🔹 [ CULTURAL INSIGHT ] The hira-natsume — flat caddy — is associated with thin tea, with openness, with the seasonal register of the tea room. When its surface carries a cherry tree, the object becomes a vehicle for a specific cultural feeling: the brief, full flowering that defines Japanese aesthetic consciousness. Tamai Shinsaku does not suggest the cherry tree. He builds it — trunk rising from one side, branches extending across the lid, each blossom a discrete maki-e application. The interior nashiji answers the exterior with light from within.
🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE ] The sakura tree on this hira-natsume is rendered through hundreds of individually applied gold maki-e points, forming a composition that holds structural integrity and visual density in careful balance. The trunk grounds the design; the branches carry the blossoms outward without crowding. The interior gold nashiji — a ground of fine gold dust suspended in lacquer, producing the texture of pear skin — signals that the maker's attention did not stop at the visible surface. Lid underside decoration completes the object as a fully considered form. Tamai Shinsaku's inscription on the box is both documentation and signature of confidence.
🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ] • Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days • Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking) • Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
