Dashes of black form overlapping autumn grasses outside while spots and streaks inside create a strong sens e of movement on this yellow tinged bowl by Uno Sango enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Chawan. It is 13.5 cm (5-1/2 inches) diameter, 6.5 cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Uno Sango (1888–1973) was born in Kyoto as the eldest son of Uno Ninmatsu. In 1902, he entered the Painting Department of the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, transferring in 1905 to the Kyoto Municipal Ceramic Research Institute. By 1907, he won the Grand Prize Gold Cup at the Fine Arts Division of the World Exposition. In 1910, he constructed a large bisque kiln adjacent to the historic Kanza Denroku Kiln and began pioneering research into Chinese colored glazes in 1913. By 1919, he had developed innovative techniques, including "Ensei" (flame glaze) and "Suiseiji" (water celadon), while working with glazes like cinnabar red, Jun ware, celadon, and tenmoku. Uno's work was recognized internationally, with pieces entering the collection of the Tokyo National Museum in 1929 and later the Sèvres Museum (1951) and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (1958, 1966). He was designated for preservation of techniques related to "Ensei" by the Ministry of Commerce and awarded for cinnabar and celadon techniques as Intangible Cultural Heritage assets in 1952 and 1957. In his later years, he received numerous accolades, including the Silver Prize at the Moscow Ceramics Exhibition (1960), the Order of the Purple Ribbon (1965), and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class (1967). His contributions to the ceramic arts culminated in receiving the Art Merit Award in 1972, solidifying his legacy as a master of Japanese pottery.
