{"product_id":"silver-inlay-bronze-vase-by-lnt-ー中川-衛-銀象嵌花器芽生え","title":"Silver Inlay Bronze Vase by LNT ー中川 衛 “銀象嵌花器芽生え”","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exceptionally refined silver-inlaid bronze vase by Living National Treasure Nakagawa Mamoru, enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Gin Zōgan Kaki “Mebae” (Silver-Inlaid Flower Vase, “Sprouting”). The slender vessel rises from an elongated, gently swelling body into a narrow cylindrical neck, terminating in a sharply defined disc-shaped mouth. Its almost entirely unadorned surface is finished in a deep satin-black patina, against which a restrained pattern of silver inlay ascends the neck: long, exquisitely fine vertical lines ending in tiny paired leaves and emerging buds. The title Mebae—“sprouting” or “new growth”—is expressed with remarkable economy, the silver lines suggesting tender shoots rising upward from the dark body of the vessel. The contrast between the softly swelling silhouette, severe architectural neck and minute flashes of silver is characteristic of Nakagawa's ability to bring the traditional technique of Kaga zōgan into an unmistakably modern vocabulary. It measures 6 cm (2-3\/8 inches) in diameter and 25 cm (9-7\/8 inches) tall and is in perfect condition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNakagawa Mamoru (born 1947) is a celebrated Japanese craftsman and master metalworker recognized as an Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for the art of decorative metal inlay. Born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nakagawa initially studied design at Kanazawa College of Art, graduating in 1971 before entering the world as a designer with Matsushita Electric Works. In an unusual career shift, he returned to Kanazawa several years later and, at the age of twenty-seven, encountered the refined beauty of Kaga zōgan metal inlay, an experience that led him to abandon design entirely and pursue metalwork despite having no prior training in the field. In 1974 he became a disciple of Takahashi Kaishū, marking the beginning of his career as a craft artist. Nakagawa first received acceptance into the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 1979, and in 1996 was appointed professor in the crafts department of his alma mater, Kanazawa College of Art, where he devoted himself to educating younger generations of artists. In 2004 he was designated a Living National Treasure, later receiving the Chunichi Culture Award in 2006, the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2009, and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Middle Ribbon, in 2018.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nakagawa Mamoru","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51326071472375,"sku":"K1431","price":237000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0658\/7472\/3063\/files\/2026-05-2014.20.55.jpg?v=1792117302","url":"https:\/\/kuramonzen.com\/products\/silver-inlay-bronze-vase-by-lnt-%e3%83%bc%e4%b8%ad%e5%b7%9d-%e8%a1%9b-%e9%8a%80%e8%b1%a1%e5%b5%8c%e8%8a%b1%e5%99%a8%e8%8a%bd%e7%94%9f%e3%81%88","provider":"Kura Monzen Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}