{"product_id":"zenzan-spring-autumn-natsume-lacquer-tea-caddy-sokuchu-sai-urasenke-style","title":"Zenzan Spring Autumn Natsume Lacquer Tea Caddy - Sokuchu-sai Urasenke Style","description":"Experience authentic Japanese tea culture with this Spring Autumn Natsume. This Maki-e Lacquer Caddy serves as a distinguished Urasenke Tea Utensil and Sokuchu-sai Konomi piece, featuring Seasonal Lid Natsume design with a reversible Butterfly Quince Art lid and Chrysanthemum Red Lid—a must-have for any collector seeking a Black Lacquer Natsume with Signed Artist Box, embodying Japanese Ceremonial Art tradition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Zenzan (善山)\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Maki-e (gold and polychrome lacquer), red lacquer alternate lid\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Late 20th century (Heisei period)\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Japan\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: Height approx. 5.5 cm × Diameter approx. 9 cm (2.2\" × 3.5\")\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Tomobako with yellow cord, artist signature and red seal\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent – pristine lacquer surface with no visible wear\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe natsume tea caddy stands at the heart of the Japanese tea ceremony, containing the thick matcha powder that guests share in silent communion. This particular piece carries the designation \"Sokuchu-sai konomi\"—a form favored by the 13th generation Urasenke grand master (1893–1964), whose aesthetic preferences shaped tea culture across the Showa era.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe reversible lid system (kaebuta) allows the tea practitioner to shift the caddy's character with the seasons. In spring gatherings, the golden quince branches and butterfly emerge. In autumn, the red chrysanthemum speaks. This attention to seasonal awareness (kisetsukan) reflects the tea ceremony's fundamental teaching: that beauty exists in recognizing time's passage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe main lid's maki-e technique—sprinkling gold and colored powders onto wet lacquer—requires weeks of layering and polishing. Each application must cure in controlled humidity before the next. The result is a surface that seems to hold light beneath its gloss.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*\"A butterfly pauses on spring branches; autumn flowers wait beneath.\"*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Sokuchu-sai and the Modernization of Tea**: Sen Sokuchu-sai (1893–1964), the 13th generation Urasenke iemoto, inherited the lineage during Japan's dramatic modernization period. His \"konomi\" designation—approval of specific utensil forms—helped standardize quality while preserving artistic freedom. This natsume reflects his aesthetic preferences: clean proportions, restrained decoration, seasonal versatility.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**The Kaebuta System**: The replacement lid (替蓋) is more than decorative convenience—it embodies the tea principle of ichigo ichie (一期一会, \"one time, one meeting\"). By changing the lid, the host signals that this gathering is unique, composed specifically for the guests and the season. The spring lid with butterfly and quince evokes new beginnings, while the autumn chrysanthemum speaks of maturity and reflection.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Hira-Natsume Form**: The flat (hira) natsume shape favored by Sokuchu-sai sits lower and wider than earlier forms, creating stability during the ritual's precise movements. Its proportions suit the modern tatami room aesthetic, where horizontal lines emphasize spaciousness.\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：善山\u003cbr\u003e• 技法：蒔絵（金粉・色粉）、春秋替蓋\u003cbr\u003e• 時代：平成\u003cbr\u003e• 産地：日本\u003cbr\u003e• 寸法：高さ約5.5cm、直径約9cm\u003cbr\u003e• 箱：黄色紐付き共箱、作家署名・朱印\u003cbr\u003e• 状態：優良（漆面に傷みなし）\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【解説】\u003cbr\u003e即中斎好みの春秋替蓋棗です。裏千家の茶道具において、家元好みの道具は格式と実用性を兼ね備えた重要な位置を占めます。主蓋には春の意匠として木瓜の枝に蝶が舞う図を金蒔絵で表現。替蓋には秋の菊を朱漆で描き、季節に応じた取り合わせが可能です。平棗の形状は安定感があり、薄茶点前に適した寸法です。善山による蒔絵の仕上げは精緻で、金粉の配置と研ぎ出しのバランスが見事です。\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*Spring and autumn rest together, waiting for the tea master's choice.*","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61577428697458,"sku":"241123-a-0737","price":1789.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/241123-a-0737_1.jpg?v=1770624453","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/zenzan-spring-autumn-natsume-lacquer-tea-caddy-sokuchu-sai-urasenke-style","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}