*THIS ITEM WEIGHS 2070 GRAMS WITHOUT PACKAGING, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS LISTING FOR SHIPPING DETAILS AND UPGRADES.

This listing is for a wonderful Mashiko-ware mizusashi made around 60 years ago by distinguished potter, Sakuma Totaro.  It is wheel-thrown and decorated with hand-painted depictions of ume blossoms, one of Sakuma’s favourite motifs.  The top half is coated in rice husk nuka glaze, and the bottom half features dark coloured iron glaze.  This piece comes with its original signed wooden storage box.  **Shipping is set for SAL Sea Mail to all eligible destinations.  An upgrade for EMS Express available upon checkout.

Sakuma Totaro (1900-1976) was a Mashiko-ware potter who actively contributed to the prosperity of Mashiko-ware as folk art pottery.  His father was Mashiko potter Sakuma Fukujiro, and his sons Fujiya and Kenji are also potters. In 1918 he graduated from the Mashiko Town Ceramic Training School pottery training school and began working at the family kiln.  In 1924 Hamada Shoji returned to Japan from England and stayed with the Sakuma family. Totoro studied under Hamada during this time and in the same year, one of his vases was selected for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Craft Exhibition. In 1927 he was selected to join the crafts department of the Kokugakai Society, and in 1928 he held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo.  After that he exhibited with Hamada Shoji and Shimaoka Tatsuzo, and in 1941 he exhibited with Hamada Shoji. In 1953 he became a director of the Tochigi Prefecture Folk Craft Association, and in 1959 he received the Tochigi Prefecture Cultural Merit Award, and in 1973 he received the highly coveted 5th Order of the Sacred Treasure.  Posthumously he received the rank of Jurokui (Junior Sixth Rank) from the Imperial Household Agency.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.

Mashiko-ware is pottery produced in the area around Mashiko in Tochigi prefecture. It began in the mid-1800s after good quality clay was found in the local area. There was a large demand for everyday cooking vessels in Tokyo so the number of workshops in Mashiko expanded and many craftsmen took up the trade. In the early 1900s Shoji Hamada took Mashiko-ware to a whole new level when he began promoting the folk art movement. Mashiko-ware is probably best known for its brown glazes along with splashes of red, black, green or white. 

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. Mizusashi come in different materials such as wood, ceramics, lacquerware, and metal. Shapes vary to include jar-like, flat, bucket shaped, well-bucket shaped, and those with a single layered mouth. There are also those with small ears on the side, and metal mizusashi sometimes have metal rings attached.

Sizes

Box:  H.20.4cm (8”) x 19.2cm (7.5”) x 19.2cm (7.5”)

Mizusashi:  H.16.3cm (6.4”) x Dia.15.4cm (6”)

Condition

It’s in very good condition aside from a very small chip on the bottom, it may be the result of the glaze sticking to the kiln shelf.  There are also some scratches on the bottom.

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 8000 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 6600 yen.

**Asia: SAL Sea Mail (approx. 6-8 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (7-10 days) available for an additional 3350 yen.

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.