A heavily encrusted Bizen Kiln altered vase by Kakumi Seiho enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Yohen Ichirin Hanaire. The bottle form has abrupt shoulders and a wide, flaring mouth, all heavily dusted with a crust of flying ash. It is 14 cm (5-1/2 inches) diameter, 23.5 cm (9-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Kakumi Seiho (b. 1921) was originally trained as a lacquer artist under Ninsai. At the close of hostilities he switched to Bizen, working tirelessly to rescue the dying crafts of traditional ceramics from the ashes of war. He was granted the Kaneshige Toyo prize in 1978, and was named an important cultural property of Okayama Prefecture in 1980. Works by the artist are held in many important collections including the Kano Museum.
