A striking handle rises up to a flame shaped tip haloing this slender form signed on the base by Morigami Jin. It is 9 x 17 x 57.5 cm (3-1/2 x 7 x 23 inches) and in excellent condition.
Morigami Jin was born in Beppu, an epicenter for basketry in Oita prefecture on the Southern Island of Kyushu, in 1955. His parents and grandparents were all bamboo artisans, so he grew up with a familiarity for the material. At age 19, he enrolled at the Oita Prefectural Bamboo Technical Training Center to learn more about working with bamboo. As a young artist his work was accepted into the Nitten, the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, and in a highly unusual occurrence, was accepted without having to advance through the interim stages. Morigami has enjoyed professional success in Japan and abroad. His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Museum of Art and Design in New York City among others.
