{"product_id":"yukifuki-nakatsugi-tea-caddy-by-shoun-crane-and-chrysanthemum-maki-e","title":"Yukifuki Nakatsugi Tea Caddy by Shoun - Crane and Chrysanthemum Maki-e","description":"Experience authentic Japanese lacquer art with this Yukifuki Tea Caddy. This Gold Maki-e Nakatsugi serves as a distinguished Crane Maki-e Design masterwork and Black Lacquer Caddy, featuring Chrysanthemum Gold Art and Octagonal Lacquerware craftsmanship—a must-have for any collector seeking Seasonal Tea Utensils with a Signed Artist Box, embodying the spirit of Japanese Autumn Art and Snow-Blown Lacquer tradition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Shoun (祥雲)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Maki-e (gold lacquer sprinkled design) on yukifuki ground\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Late Showa–Heisei period\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Japan\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: Height approx. 7.2 cm × Diameter approx. 6.9 cm (2.8\" × 2.7\")\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Tomobako with red artist seal\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent – no wear to lacquer surfaces\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe yukifuki (雪吹) style—named for snow blown across a black sky—creates a visual quietness that allows maki-e motifs to emerge without competition. This nakatsugi (middle-sized tea caddy) divides its octagonal body into four narrative panels: zangiku (残菊, late-blooming chrysanthemums), cranes in flight, autumn grasses, and a solitary crane with flowers. Together, they form a meditation on October, when nature persists despite approaching winter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShoun's choice of subjects reflects the tea calendar's sensitivity to micro-seasons. Remaining chrysanthemums symbolize endurance and longevity; cranes embody elegance and transcendence. The matte black lacquer does not compete—it withdraws, allowing gold to articulate form through negative space.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*\"What remains blooms louder—the caddy holds tea and the memory of October.\"*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Yukifuki Technique**: The snow-blown aesthetic emerged during the Edo period as a counterpoint to elaborate maki-e. By leaving large areas of matte black lacquer unadorned, artisans created a sense of restraint aligned with wabi-sabi principles. The technique requires perfect lacquer application—any unevenness becomes visible in the expanse of black. Shoun's execution demonstrates this discipline: the black is uniform, the gold motifs precisely placed to balance visual weight across the octagonal form.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Nakatsugi Form**: Nakatsugi literally means \"joined in the middle,\" referring to the caddy's division into equal upper and lower halves. This form was developed for storing thin tea (usucha) and is characteristically used in less formal tea gatherings, though its decorative potential—as here—can elevate it to a centerpiece.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Zangiku Symbolism**: The remaining chrysanthemum (残菊) is a distinctly Japanese aesthetic concept. While chrysanthemums bloom gloriously in September's Chrysanthemum Festival, those that persist into October carry a different beauty—quiet defiance, the dignity of persistence. In tea ceremony, selecting a zangiku-themed utensil signals awareness of this poignant seasonal transition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【基本情報】\u003cbr\u003e• 作家：祥雲\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：雪吹蒔絵（黒漆地に金蒔絵）\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：昭和後期〜平成\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：日本\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：高さ約7.2cm、直径約6.9cm\u003cbr\u003e• 箱：作家署名・朱印入り共箱・共布\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：良好（漆面に傷みなし）\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【解説】\u003cbr\u003e雪吹とは黒漆の地に雪が吹き付けるような静謐な美意識を表現した技法です。本作は八角形の中次に四面の異なる文様を配し、残菊・飛翔する鶴・秋草・花を伴う単独の鶴を描いています。十月の主題である「残る花」は、冬を前に咲き続ける生命力の象徴であり、鶴は優雅さと超越性を体現します。黒漆の余白が金蒔絵の存在感を引き立て、茶道具としての品格と詩情を両立させています。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ SHIPPING \u0026amp; PACKAGING ]\u003cbr\u003e• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days\u003cbr\u003e• Carrier: Japan Post EMS \/ UPS (with tracking)\u003cbr\u003e• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*What blooms in October knows winter is listening—a caddy for tea and for endurance.*","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61577428631922,"sku":"241123-a-0734","price":1237.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m82906895763_1.jpg?v=1770618363","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/yukifuki-nakatsugi-tea-caddy-by-shoun-crane-and-chrysanthemum-maki-e","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}