Ume Plum Blossom Kashi Bowl Japanese Confectionery Dish with Signed Box

A confectionery bowl painted with red and white plum blossoms on an ash-glazed ground — the season's first announcement rendered in iron underglaze and overglaze enamel.

The hand-painted ume motif carries the full visual weight of Japanese winter-to-spring passage. White blossoms with gold-detailed stamens float beside a single vivid red bloom against the warm stone-toned glaze. Iron brushwork traces branches across the exterior with quiet, assured strokes. The signed wooden box confirms this is an attributed piece with cultural context intact.

A small glaze chip (2–3 mm) at the rim is noted and visible in images — consistent with age and use. It does not affect function or structural integrity.

【 Basic Details 】
• Type: Kashi-bachi (confectionery serving bowl)
• Motif: Red and white plum blossom (kōhaku ume-mon)
• Glaze: Ash glaze, warm grey-cream ground
• Diameter: approx. 17.5–18 cm / Height: approx. 9 cm
• Condition: Minor glaze chip (2–3 mm) at rim; otherwise good
• Provenance: Signed wooden box (hakogaki)

【 Cultural Insight 】
In the Japanese seasonal calendar, the plum (ume) blooms before all other flowers — defying cold with quiet insistence. The pairing of red and white (kōhaku) carries auspicious meaning in Japanese ceremony, making this bowl suited to formal New Year gatherings and early spring tea events. Painted confectionery vessels of this form appear in traditional kaiseki and wagashi presentation contexts.

【 Deep Dive 】
The contrast between the spontaneous iron brushwork of the branches and the deliberate overglaze detailing of the stamens reveals a dual sensibility in the painter: gestural confidence alongside meticulous finishing. The ash glaze, which fires to a warm sandy tone, provides a ground that neither competes with nor overshadows the painterly surface. Such restraint in background color is a mark of studied craft intention.

【 日本語説明 】
梅文様の菓子鉢です。灰釉の温かみある素地に、鮮やかな紅白の梅の花が描かれています。白梅の花芯には金彩の細描が施され、鉄絵具による枝の描写は力強く流麗です。箱書あり。口縁に2〜3mmの釉薬の軽微な剥がれがございますが、使用には支障ありません。

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