With Original Box
Showa Era
Living National Treasure
D15cm H27.5cm
A vase set against a rich iron-slip ground, featuring white circular reserves on which Hamada’s iconic sugarcane motif is rendered in red and green enamels.
The sugarcane design, painted on both sides, is one of Hamada Shoji’s most recognizable motifs. Executed with fluid and confident brushwork, it conveys a vivid sense of vitality. Within the simple structure of the roundels, strength and warmth coexist, embodying the approachable yet dignified character distinctive of Hamada’s work.
The contrast between the subdued iron ground and the vibrant red and green decoration creates a compelling visual harmony. Functional in form yet sculptural in presence, the piece stands as a refined example of Hamada’s artistic vision.
Shoji HAMADA（濱田庄司）
1894 - 1978
He was a potter within the folk tradition of Japanese. He was a long-time friend of Kanjiro Kawai, Soetsu Yanagi, and Bernard Leach with whom he co-founded the Japan Folk Art Association in 1926. Hamada became an important figure in the Japanese folk arts movement. After 1923, he moved to Mashiko where he rebuilt farmhouses and established his large workshop. Throughout his life, Hamada demonstrated an excellent glazing technique, using such trademark glazes as temmoku iron glaze, nuka rice-husk ash glaze, and kaki persimmon glaze. Through his frequent visits and demonstrations abroad, Hamada influenced many potters of the world in later generations as well as those of his own.
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