*THIS ITEM WEIGHS 1680 GRAMS WITHOUT PACKAGING, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS LISTING FOR SHIPPING DETAILS AND UPGRADES.

This listing is for a Kishu-ware vase made around 40 years ago by Aoi Gama.  It is wood-fired and has an appearance similar to Bizen-ware, and it features small  handles on either side. The opening is wide enough to accommodate a small bunch of flowers, though being a tea vase its better suited to a more simple arrangement.  The stamp of the kiln can be found on the bottom, and it comes with its original signed wooden storage box.  It also comes with a Japanese language profile paper. 

Aoi Gama was established in 1932 by Samukawa Seiho I.  Samukawa studied under Kyo-ware potter Sawada Sozan, and spent five years in Aichi Prefecture as chief manager of the Aichi Prefectural Institute of Ceramic Industry.  After returning to Wakayama he established a kiln and workshop at Koyaguchi-Odawara.  Tokugawa Yorisada, the former lord of the Kishu Domain, was looking for a potter to revive Kishu-ware.  He approached Samukawa and asked him to produce Kishu pieces using traditional glazes and techniques.  His kiln was then renamed Aoi Gama, aoi (hollyhock) being the crest of the Tokugawa clan.  In 1956 Samukawa developed the now famous Nachiguro-Yu glaze technique, a black coloured glaze made from black Nachiguro stones.  The kiln was later moved to Nanki Shirahama in 1967, three years later Samukawa was designated as a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.   Before his death in 1975 he received the highly coveted Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays.  Aoi Gama is now in its second generation and run by Samukawa’s eldest son, Samukawa Seiho II.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.

Kishu-ware refers to pottery that was first produced during the Edo period in modern day Wakayama Prefecture, however many kilns were forced to close down after the abolition of the Kishu Domain. The very last of its kind closed in 1878. In 1937 a potter named Samukawa Seiho was tasked with reviving the traditional Kishu style of pottery, so he set up Aoi Kiln. The kiln was later moved to Nanki Shirahama in 1967, and this led to the development of the now famous Nachiguro-Yu glaze technique. Nachiguro-Yu is a black coloured glaze made from black Nachiguro stones.  Aoi Gama is now headed by the second generation, Samukawa Seiho II.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.                                        

Sizes

Box:  H.29cm (11.4”) x 14.6cm (5.7”) x 14.6cm (5.7”)

Vase:  H.24.5cm (9.6”) x 9.7cm (3.8”) across the top                                                                

Condition

It has a slightly wobbly bottom and the wooden box and profile paper are spotty.             

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION                                                                 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  Very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to these countries.  We have no plan to register at this time because the process is in some cases very expensive and complicated, plus each country has its own set of regulations and application process. 

**USA: SAL Sea Mail (approx. 11-12 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (10-15 days) available for an additional 5100 yen.

**UK , Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway: SAL Sea Mail (approx. 8-12 weeks depending on the destination), an upgrade for EMS Express (10-15 days) available for an additional 4050 yen.  

**Asia: SAL Sea Mail (approx. 6-8 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (7-10 days) available for an additional 2050 yen.

**Central Asia, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico:  EMS Express 10-15 days.

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.