A blast of molten green seems to spill out of this perfectly formed rustic bowl by veteran potter Takahashi Shunsai enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Chawan.It is roughly 12 cm (just under 5 inches) diameter, 8.5 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Born in 1927, the second son of renowned potter Takahashi Rakusai III in Shigaraki, Takahashi Shunsai left home to study under Taniguchi Ryosai in Kyoto before returning to Shigaraki to pursue his studies of Shigaraki styles specifically under his father and spent the better part of two decades working from that studio. He established his own kiln in 1968. He has been displayed at the Nitten, Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition), Nihon Togei ten (National Ceramics Exhibition), Asahi Ceramics Exhibition, as well as a long list of private exhibitions at Japan’s top galleries. He has been often prized as a master of Shigaraki, and has been designated a Shiga Prefectural Intangible Cultural Property (Living Treasure) in 1995.This is possibly more important than the Living National Treasure designation, imbued as that selection is with rank and politic.The Prefectural version is truly representative of one’s merits as an artist and achievement.
