This is an amazing work of art, a quashed flaring bucket form covered in hi-iro flame color and natural ash glaze with large silver repairs by Shigaraki legend Tsuji Seimei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yohen Mizusashi.Fired on its side, the piece has warped slightly in the conflagration, flying ash and embers settling on the inside opposite where it has adhered to the kiln floor, apparent as a large kutsuki above a large silver repair.Where it has gone oblong, the artist has filled lightning cracks with silver.Complimenting it, the custom made black lacquered wooden lid has also silver repairs looping along the edges.Incredibly pleasing to behold, it is 25.5 x 20 x 19 cm (10 x 8 x 7-1/2 inches and is in excellent condition.
Tsuji Seimei (1927-2008) was born the son of an antique dealer in Tokyo in 1927. He was a childhood prodigy, and had acquired a reputation before leaving school, allowing him to meet many of the great artists of his day. In 1941 he established a studio with his sister. In 1955 he built his own studio in Tama City, choosing Shigaraki as his medium, he fired prodigiously. He married Tsuji Kyo, also a potter, and together they formed a team which helped define the blending of post-war traditional and non-functional ceramics.
