Iris in white a dark gray against silver blades open their flowers against the traditional Nezumi gray and red covering this water receptacle by Wakao Toshisada made for the Japanese Tea Ceremony enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Nezumi Shino Mizusashi.It is 18 x 17cm depthｘ15 cm (7-1/4 x 7-1/2 x 6 inches) and is in perfect condition.
Wakao Toshisada was born in Tajimi, Gifu prefecture, home of Mino pottery, in 1933. He was first recognized at the New Crafts exhibition of 1960, the same year he was first exhibited at the Central Japan Art Exhibition. Three years later he made his debut at the Asahi Ceramics Exhibition, following in 1965 with the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition. In 1971 he first exhibited with the Nihon Togeiten (All Japan Ceramics Exhibition) and was awarded the following year the New Mino Artists Prize, gathering acclaim as a leader in the field. After many domestic and international exhibits, he was awarded the Kato Kohei prize in 1986. and was recipient of the prestigious Japan Ceramics Society (JCS) Award in 1989. He was named an intangible cultural asset of Tajimi city in 1995, and of Gifu Prefecture in 2003, and works by the artist are held in the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo, V&A, Freer Gallery and Sackler among many others.
