Sake cup, one of a set of ten titled "Wakohai"

Object Details

• Artist

  Ito Tozan III (1900-1970)

• Label

  This cup is from a set which consists of ten sake cups made by ten Kyoto ceramic artists and boxed together in a wooden box signed by all the artists. The artists were the leading potters of their day. All were born around 1900; in 1953-54, when this set of ten cups was created, they were nearing the heights of their careers. The set is important for its illumination of a different, more intimate side of the Kyoto craftsman's world than can be seen in a single large-scale work by one artist. Each cup is executed like a minature tea bowl in a style closely associated with the artist's mature work. The miniature bowls show off the meticulous workmanship in throwing and trimming that was (and to a considerable extent still is) the hallmark of the Kyoto potter, whether anonymous studio worker or star as these men were. While more remains to be discovered about the precise motivation behind the creation of the set, this sort of joint production is not unknown in Kyoto (especially on commemorative occasions).

• Provenance

  From 1954 to 1995

  Private collector, acquired in 1954 [1]

  From 1995

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, given by a private collector in 1995

  Notes:

  [1] The set was given to the donor in 1954 (according to Provenance Remark 1, L.A. Cort, February 21, 1995, in the object record and according to Curatorial Remark 1, Remark 1, L.A. Cort, February 21, 1995, in the object record).

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Anonymous

• Origin

  Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Anonymous gift

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1950s

• Name

  Mote, Frederick and Hsiao-lan

• Place

  Kyoto, Japan, Kyoto prefecture

• Topic

  Art, Showa era (1926 - 1989), Stoneware, Japanese Art, Pottery, Ceramics, Sake

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)