A large metal box covered in stripes of silver and Kuromido by master metalworker Tanaka Terukazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Straipu Hako. Inside is a wood core lined with dark green velvet. It is roughly 20 x 20 x 7 cm (8 x 8 x 3 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Terukazu is known as a master of uniting the tonalities of copper alloys with gold and silver in his signature oversized box forms. Copper alloys such as Shakudo, Shibuichi and Kuromido range in hue and mood from ruddy brown to cool blue-gray or near black. These distinctive Japanese alloys originated centuries ago for use in sword fittings and Buddhist ornaments.
Tanaka Terukazu was born the son of a metalsmith in the Yanaka district of Tokyo in 1945 and received his early training from his father. He graduated from the Tokyo Metropolitan Crafts High School and his work was first accepted in the Nitten, the national exhibition of the Japan Art Academy, in1971. He began participating in the annual New Craft Exhibition (Shin Kogei Ten) in 1979 and now serves as a judge for that event. His work has been recognized with many honors, including the Tokyo Governor’s Award and the Hakone Open-Air Museum grand prize. According to Louise Cort at the Freer Sackler: By juxtaposing alloy shades, Mr. Tanaka evokes painterly realms of light and shadow, sky and water. He joins metal sheets in contrasting shades and hammers them to shape his vessel forms. The artist then adds ornamentation by chiseling fine patterns into the metal substrate and overlaying the patterns with gilding.
