Vintage Japanese Iga-yaki Rectangular Concave Tray entitled: “Dragon Spirit” by Ryusei Arita

Dimensions: 2-0”h x 3-1/4”w x 16-0”l

This long rectangle-shaped natural ash glaze Japanese tray has a beautiful hand-formed matte and rough texture, in colors mixed with black and brown giving a sense of "wabi-sabi"(traditional Japanese beauty). This high-quality serving piece is concave to accommodate longer-shaped “maki “sushi or in the contemporary world bread. The piece is fully glazed except the bottom which is left natural with two slab feet at each end. Ryusei’s interpretations of Iga-yaki ceramics are truly one-of-a-kind works of art; each piece is hand-crafted, bearing the fruits of this innovativeness. The artist has placed his incised mark on the back platform leg.

Ryusei’s work shares a distinctive natural ash glaze and a robust interpretation of traditional Iga-yaki pottery. Ryusei advocates living with art by presenting fine food through the use of beautiful handmade serving pieces. This philosophy blurs the distinction between utility and art, which has been a major influence on his work. Ryusei is a famed ceramic artist, kiln builder, and author commissioned to create signature ceramics for leading Chefs and restaurants in California, Australia, and around the world. We personally met this talented craftsman over a decade ago at his Oakland studio, and have sold diverse pieces of his work to ceramic enthusiasts with discriminating taste for the Japanese aesthetic, at our former gallery, (Vermillion Asian Arts), in Carmel, California. 

NOTE: Ryusei, who epitomizes aesthetic philosophy was born in Japan and has grown to be an internationally renowned ceramic artist. See the publication focused on his technical skills entitled: Personal Author: Arita, Ryusei, Ceramics Technical, No. 31, Nov 2010: 3-6 Document. ISSN: 1324-4175.

Condition: Excellent and without damage, chips, or discoloration and as originally made.