A pair of small tsubo with lids made to act as either a tea container or a koro incense burner by Living National Treasure Kato Takuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shosoin Fukugen Sansai-Tsubo Umibiko Yamabiko. The title indicates these are based on samples held in the 8th century collection of the Shosoin, the Imperial storehouses in Nara). One lid is black lacquered, simple and austere, the other is a pierced silver lid with overlapping radish designs. The vessels share the same compact swelling form and ivory ground, one animated by freely flowing emerald green and the other by deep cobalt blue. Small amber-glazed applied motifs punctuate each body, introducing a warm accent against the cool fields of color. The pair is completed with contrasting interchangeable-style covers: one a simple polished black lacquer lid, the other an elaborate pierced silver cover decorated with a finely worked phoenix amid scrolling forms. The combination allows the vessels to function as small covered containers or as incense burners, while the contrasting lids move them between quiet austerity and considerable richness. Each bears Kato's impressed mark beneath. They measure approximately 8.5 cm (3-3/8 inches) in diameter and 7 cm (2-3/4 inches) tall and are in perfect condition. The wooden box bears the official seal used after being designated a Living National Treasure.
Kato Takuo (1917-2005), I am sure, requires no introduction. He was born in Tajimi, center of the Mino ceramic tradition the son of Kato Kobei. Trained in ceramics at the Tajimi Technical School as well as under his father. He entered military service in 1938, and served until wars end. He then contracted leukemia, and spent another ten years fighting for his life. He debuted at the Nitten National Exhibition in 1956, and was soon accepted and consistently displayed at any number of National and International Exhibitions. In 1980 he was commissioned by the Imperial Household Agency to produce a restoration of the Shosoin Three Color Glaze. In 1991 he received the JCS (Japan Ceramic Society) prize, one of the most important honors for a potter. He was named a Living National Treasure in 1995 for his work in Sansai glazes.
