*THIS ITEM WEIGHS 5750 GRAMS WITHOUT PACKAGING, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS LISTING FOR SHIPPING DETAILS AND UPGRADES.

This listing is for a Takaoka copper kaigu set made around 40 years ago by Fujii Souki.   This particular kaigu is a set of matching karakane copper utensils.  The set consists of a mizusashi, kensui, shakutate and a futaoki.  A mizusashi is used during the tea ceremony to hold fresh water for cleaning tea utensils such as the bamboo whisk, as well as to replenish the kettle. The job of a kensui is to hold used water after tea utensils have been rinsed off. The shakutate holds the hishaku water ladle, and the futaoki functions as a lid rest. The lid of the kama is placed on the futaoki when hot water needs to be drawn from the kettle.  This set has had little use and has been very well looked after.  It comes with its original wooden storage box, as well as a Japanese language profile paper.  **Newspaper in the box is dated February 1^st, 1984.

Fujii Souki (b.1940) was born in Takaoka city in Toyama Prefecture.  In 1973 he received an Honourable Mention at the annual Nichigei Japan Art Exhibition, and in 1977 he received the Tokyo Governors Award at the same exhibition.  In 1981 he received the Encouragement Award at the Nichigei Japan Art Exhibition, and in 1983 he held a solo exhibition at Nagoya Maruei Department Store.  In 1989 he exhibited at Ginza Matsuya Department Store, and in 1990 he held a solo exhibition at Takashimaya Department Store in Kyoto.  Fujii’s work is highly sought after by collectors and tea practitioners due to their high quality.  He has been given the name ‘Kisaemon’ but has since retired from making tea utensils.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.

Takaoka city is the leading producer of copperware in all of Japan, its origins going back some 400 years to feudal times. They produce items for religious purposes, the tea ceremony, as well as pots and pans for daily use. Manufacturing involves several stages beginning with the making of moulds in either wax or resin. This is followed by casting via the lost-wax process, and then finishing and colouring. During the colouring process other metals may be added and lacquer is sometimes added to the base. All these processes combined create Japan’s finest copperware, all done by highly skilled master craftsmen.                                                                                                                               

Sizes

Box:  H.37.5cm (14.7”) x 33cm (12.9”) x 22.7cm (8.9”)

Mizusashi:  H.19.5cm (7.6”) x 19.5cm (7.6”) across

Kensui:  H.8.5cm (3.3”) x Dia.11.7cm (4.6”)

Shakutate:  H.17cm (6.6”) x Dia.6.1cm (2.4”)

Futaoki:  H.4.6cm (1.8”) x Dia.5.1cm (2”)                                                                                 

Condition

The entire set is in very good condition and only has VERY MINOR wear here and there.  The mizusashi has some minor marks on the exterior (mainly the bottom), and the kensui has some minor surface wear.  This set has been well taken care of.                         

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 14,800 yen. Combined shipping available (please send us a message) but please note that the price does not get cheaper for Airmail or EMS, in fact it becomes more expensive. If you want to save money and don't mind a very long 3 month wait, request sea mail (11-12 weeks depending on processing and backlogs at destination ports).

**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 12,600 yen. Combined shipping available (please send us a message) but please note that the price does not get cheaper for EMS, in fact it becomes more expensive. If you want to save money and don't mind a very long 3 month wait, request sea mail (11-12 weeks depending on processing and backlogs at destination ports).

**Asia: SAL Sea Mail (approx. 6-8 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (7-10 days) available for an additional 5750 yen.

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.