An e-Karatsu Mizusashi by Nakagawa Jinenbo
- Artist:
- Nakagawa Jinenbo
- Era:
- Contemporary
- Price:
- $1,650
- Inquire:
- Contact gallery
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Like many pottery traditions in Japan, Karatsu takes its name from the city where it originated. As early as the 15th century, Korean potters heavily influenced the development of this art form—helping to endow it with the earthy, simple, and natural qualities it is so appreciated for. Here we have an excellent example in the form of one of the central implements of tea ceremony, the fresh water pot, known in Japanese as the “mizusashi.”
This piece was crafted by Nakagawa Jinenbo (1953-2011), a man who did not come to pottery through family lineage but rather through a fierce desire to create works of art. Originally a salaried worker at a pharmaceutical company, Jinenbo quit his job in pursuit of the freedom to create and eventually the respect that would come with mastery of the arts. Apart from pottery, he also harbored a passion for painting which he was able to incorporate into his works in the form of “e-Karatsu” where “e” in Japanese means painting. In 1982 he built his own kiln, a split bamboo climbing kiln type, wood fired at high temperatures. Despite his humble background, he soon rose to prominence and in 1985 had solo exhibitions at both Tokyo Kuroda Toen and Odakyu that continued annually for many years after. From that time forward his career was on a steady upward trajectory, full of opportunities to exhibit his pieces and a shower of praise and adoration; being selected, for example, as one of 101 important tea ceremony artists by NHK in 2002 and one of 109 artists representing Japanese ceramics in 2004 by Abe Publishing. For a full accounting of his storied career, you can visit the English biography page on their family website now maintained by his son Kyohei: https://jinenbo.info/en/jinenbo-story/
In excellent condition, this beautifully hand-crafted mizusashi is 8.25 inches at its wides point (21cm) and stands 7.9 inches tall (20cm). It comes with its original box signed and sealed by the artist. In addition, the artists signature can be seen on the base of the mizusashi where the exposed red clay meets the glaze.
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