Vintage Japanese Iga-Yaki Ikebana Vase by Akino Hirokazu | Tea Ceremony Accessory

Sale price$130.00

Dimensions: 6-3/4”h x 3-0” dia.

Offered is a wonderful Iga ware vase unique because of the local clay employed in the fabrication of the piece. It demonstrates an unregulated style of beauty and characterized by unexpected color and design changes because of the high temperature of firing. Iga ware is a traditional porcelain craft from Marubashira, Iga, Mie Prefecture. It is a small town in the mountains famous as the birthplace of Iga ninja. It has been a popular pottery style since the Tsutsui-Momoyama period of Japan.

Characteristic features of this piece are the wonderful center banding with spots of red clay, and the unusual motif resembling a “tree-like broken branch” on one side. There are nine rigid sections of the gray, green glazed surface with an unglazed base. It has a wonderful hand to the touch. Inspired and dynamic, this piece of Iga ware was created with a combination of careful planning on the part of the craftsmen and his ability to give free rein to the impetuous forces of nature within the confines of the kiln. As shown in this piece it produces different effects and finishes achieved by varying the positions of the object in the kiln adding to the overall spontaneity. The piece has an incised mark of the artist on the side of the piece.

Vintage Condition: This is an exceptionally glazed vase in pristine condition: no chips or missing elements or repairs. “As is” and retains the original craft/workmanship. Any discoloration, chipping/cracking, surface wear, or structural damage are noted, which of course there are none. 

NOTE: Iga developed as the production area of porcelain from the late Heian period. Iga ware became notable for the unique vessels created for the tea ceremony, which gained popularity from the late Muromachi period till the Momoyama period. Two governors of Iga, Teiji Tsutsumi and Takatora Fujido, were also masters of the tea ceremony, which explains why Iga ware reflects the tastes and thinking of the tea ceremonies of this area. Iga ware in its purity symbolizes the beauty of ceramics made and appreciated by the Japanese people.