Tatsuta River Maki-e Lacquer Tea Bowl by Yoshida Kasei - Nashiji Interior

Experience authentic Japanese tea culture with this Tatsuta River Tea Bowl. This Gold Maki-e Lacquer piece serves as a stunning Autumn Maple Chawan and Japanese Lacquer Bowl, featuring Nashiji Gold Interior and Bronze Lacquer Art—a must-have for any Art Collector seeking a Signed Artist Box masterwork of Seasonal Tea Ceremony tradition and Urushi Lacquerware excellence.

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🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]

• Artist: Yoshida Kasei (吉田華正)
• Technique: Maki-e (gold and red lacquer sprinkled design) with interior nashiji
• Era: Late Showa–Heisei period
• Origin: Japan
• Dimensions: Diameter approx. 11 cm × Height approx. 8 cm (4.3" × 3.1")
• Box: Tomobako (artist-signed wooden box with cloth)
• Condition: Excellent – no cracks, chips, or repairs

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🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]

Tatsuta River (龍田川) is one of Japan's most celebrated poetic sites, immortalized in classical waka poetry for its autumn maple leaves floating downstream. This tea bowl translates that literary imagery into tactile form—red and gold leaves scattered across the bronze lacquer body as if carried by invisible currents. The interior nashiji (pear-skin) ground creates a luminous backdrop when tea is served, amplifying the sense of seasonal passage.

Kasei's brushwork demonstrates the restraint central to tea aesthetics: leaves are neither crowded nor sparse, achieving the balance called ma (間)—the productive space between elements. The piece functions both as vessel and as witness to the Japanese conviction that beauty deepens through seasonal awareness.

*"Autumn leaves drift where water once flowed—the bowl holds both memory and tea."*

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🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]

**The Tatsuta River Motif**: Tatsuta River in Nara Prefecture has been a symbol of autumn beauty since the Man'yoshu and Kokinwakashu poetry anthologies. In lacquer arts, the motif traditionally depicts maple leaves in various stages of color—from gold to deep crimson—floating or drifting on implied water. Kasei's interpretation layers these leaves with gold dust spray (nashiji-fun), creating depth as if one is looking into the river itself.

**Nashiji Interior**: The interior's nashiji finish—named for its resemblance to the speckled surface of a Japanese pear—is created by sprinkling gold flakes onto lacquer, then covering with translucent layers. This produces a glowing depth that interacts with the tea's color during ceremony, making the ritual of serving visually participatory.

**Collector Significance**: A tea bowl combining exterior maki-e with interior nashiji represents a double investment of technique. Each surface demands separate mastery—the pictorial brushwork outside, the controlled flake distribution inside. This dual approach signals a piece intended for collectors who appreciate both the visible and the concealed.

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]

【基本情報】
• 作家：吉田華正
• 技法：蒔絵（金・赤漆による散らし文様）、内梨子地
• 時代：昭和後期〜平成
• 産地：日本
• 寸法：直径約11cm、高さ約8cm
• 箱：作家署名入り共箱・共布
• 状態：良好（ヒビ・カケなし）

【解説】
龍田川は古来より紅葉の名所として和歌に詠まれてきた景勝地です。本作はその文学的イメージを茶碗に昇華させ、赤と金の楓葉を胴部に散らしています。内側の梨子地は茶を点てた際に金色の輝きを放ち、季節の移ろいを五感で体感させる仕掛けとなっています。華正の筆致は「間」の美学を体現し、過不足のない配置が茶道具としての品格を保っています。

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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

*The river flows in the hand—a bowl made to hold seasons, not just tea.*