Tomobako (original signed wooden box)
Showa period
D12cm H10.5cm
This tea bowl by Kawai Kanjirō, a leading figure of the Japanese Mingei (Folk Craft) movement, exemplifies his warm and expressive ceramic style.
The surface is covered in a rich iron glaze, upon which a floral motif in copper-red (cinnabar) emerges with depth and subtle variation. The gently rounded body sits securely, fitting naturally in the hands, embodying Kawai’s philosophy of unity between utility and beauty.
Kanjiro KAWAI（河井寛次郎）
1890 - 1966
Kanjirou Kawai was a Kyoto-based potter within the folk tradition of Japanese and Korean ceramics and a key figure in Mingei (Japanese folk art movement). He was a long-time friend of Shōji Hamada, Soetsu Yanagi, and Bernard Leach with whom he co-founded the Japan Folk Art Association in 1926. He refused all official honors, such as the designation of “Living National Treasures,” He often decorated his works with bold, semiabstract blossom motifs, which he painted freely in under-glaze cobalt blue, iron brown, and copper red.
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