Although I love Bizen pottery for myself, I rarely offer it on the website as the colors are so subtle and designs often so very Japanese. This stunning vase by the rare (certainly for her era) female potter Konishi Toko II in the shape of two overlapping lotus leaves is a striking exception. Two lotus leaves complete with stems overlap forming the basin upon which crawls a large crab toward the opening. It stands out in a room of Bizen as if ringing a bell. It is 23 x 21 x 23 cm (9 x 8 x 9 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Konishi Toko II (Mitsue, 1927-2018) was born the second daughter of Konishi Toko I (1899-1954) and of course, learned from her father upon completion of her schooling. She took over the family business after her father died in 1954, in a very difficult time for Japan, battling against the effects of modernization and the lingering effects of the war and poverty of the early post war era as well as the handicap of being female in a very male-centric tradition. She was a powerhouse, carrying the kiln through the tumultuous years and was succeeded by her own son Tozo (b. 1957) who heads the family kiln today.
