Skip to product information
1 of 20

Kaya Hosui

Mid-Century Te-bako Lacquer box ー彼谷 芳水 "彫漆 夕顔之手筥"

Mid-Century Te-bako Lacquer box ー彼谷 芳水 "彫漆 夕顔之手筥"

Item Code: K488

Regular price ¥738,400 JPY
Regular price Sale price ¥738,400 JPY
Sale Sold out
Tax included.

Yugao bottle gourd flowers blossom in thick relief on this beautiful lacquered box by Kaya Hosui enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Choshitsu Yugao no Tebako (carved lacquer Box with Bottle Gourds).  It is signed and dated inside the lid in red: Spring 1957 made by Hosui.  The artwork measures 30.5 x 25.3 x 10 cm (12 x 10 x 4 inches) and is in excellent condition.  There is a repair to one corner visible as a hairline of color on the rim.

Kaya Hosui (1899-1994) lived and worked in Toyama Prefecture, and four pieces ranging the gamut of his career are held in the Takaoka Municipal Museum of Art
Kaya Hosui (1899–1994) was a lacquer artist from Takaoka City who was active from the Taisho era through the Heisei era. He studied under the third-generation Ishii Yusuke (1876–1938), inheriting the techniques of the "Yusuke-nuri" style. This style gained prominence during the Meiji period at international expositions and domestic industrial exhibitions, significantly enhancing the reputation of Takaoka lacquerware. Kaya Hosui entered the world of lacquer art at the age of 12 when he became a live-in apprentice under the third-generation Ishii Yusuke. Around the age of 14, at his master's recommendation, he studied painting techniques under Nakajima Shuho (1878–1961), a Maruyama school painter who had graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and was teaching painting at the Toyama Prefectural School of Industrial Arts. It was during this time that Kaya adopted the name "Hosui." After completing his apprenticeship in 1919, Kaya served as the head lacquer supervisor for the Ishii family until 1929. He then joined the Toyama Prefecture Industrial Research Institute, where he became a central figure in craft education, serving as a technical officer for the prefecture until 1955. Even after retirement, Kaya continued to play important roles in the arts and crafts world and actively participated in art exhibitions. In 1964, Kaya was recognized as a Holder of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Toyama Prefecture.

View full details