Original Wooden Box
D9.5cm×14cm H18.5cm
A striking flat ceramic vase (Henko) by Kawai Kanjiro (1890–1966), a master potter and one of the leading figures of Japan’s Mingei (Folk Art) movement.
Coated in a deep, lustrous black glaze, the vase is dynamically decorated with gestural splashes of polychrome glazes, including vivid green and copper red (shinsha). The bold, angular form combined with Kanjiro’s spontaneous glaze application gives this piece a powerful, modern presence while retaining the warmth of handcrafted pottery.
Condition: Two small areas of glaze skips/crawling are present on the shoulder (characteristic of the firing process). Please refer to the images for details.
Kanjiro KAWAI（河井寛次郎）
1890 - 1966
Kanjiro 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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