*THIS ITEM WEIGHS 2580 GRAMS WITHOUT PACKAGING, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS LISTING FOR SHIPPING DETAILS AND UPGRADES.

This listing is for a splendid sometsuke mizusashi made around 20 years ago by noted potter, Shinoda Giichi.  It is wheel-thrown and decorated with hand-painted depictions of bamboo over a white porcelain base.  The lid is the tomo-buta type, meaning that it is made from the same material and with the same design as the rest of the mizusashi. Mizusashi are intended for replenishing the kettle during the tea ceremony, but they are multi-purpose and may be used for storage or display.  The signature of the potter can be found on the bottom, and it comes with its original signed wooden storage box.  It also comes with a turmeric coloured wrapping cloth for when the item is not in use. 

Shinoda Giichi (1924-2010) was a porcelain ware potter from Nagano Prefecture.  In 1942 he became a pupil of master potter Kondo Yuzu (1902-1985) in Kyoto.   In 1946 he built a noborigama climbing kiln nearby Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, and in 1949 his work was selected for the first time for the prestigious Nitten Fine Arts Exhibition.  In 1953 he served as a judge at the Nagano Prefectural Exhibition, and in 1958 he received the Asahi Ceramic Art Award.  In 1961 he received the Japan Ceramic Society Award, and in 1962 his work was selected for the Japanese Crafts Exhibition.   He became a regular member of the Japan Kogei Association the same year.  In 1964 he received the Japan Crafts Chairperson Award at the Japanese Traditional Crafts New Works Exhibition, and his prize winning work was purchased by the Ministry of Education.  In 1968 he served as chairperson of the jury panel at the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition.  In 1970 he was invited to exhibit at the Biennale International Ceramic Art Exhibition, and in 1983 he held an exhibition to commemorate his 40^th anniversary of making pottery.  In 1985 he held a special exhibition called the “20^th Commemorative Exhibition” at Nihonbashi Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo.  In 1991 he was designated a ‘Person of Merit for Arts and Culture’ in Matsumoto City, and in 1992 he became a ‘Person of Merit in the Arts and Culture of Nagano Prefecture’.  He served as Advisor to the Nagano Prefecture Craft Association, and he was President of the Nagano Prefecture Ceramic Society.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.

Sometsuke is a technique where blue cobalt oxide underglaze is painted onto white porcelain, and then a clear glaze is applied over the top. It first appeared in China during the Yuan period and eventually made its way to Arita in the very early 1600s. Traditionally this technique was done by hand but these days a lot of production potters prefer to use stencilling or transfer-printing.                                                                         

Sizes

Box:  H.26.5cm (10.4”) x 22.9cm (9”) x 22.9cm (9”)

Mizusashi:  H.20cm (7.8”) x 16.3cm (6.4”) across x 11.8cm (4.6”) across the top                    

Condition

It’s in very good condition with no chips or cracks.                                                               

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION                                                                 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  The aforementioned countries have very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to your country.  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 (7-10 days) available for an additional 8000 yen. 

**UK , Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe:  SAL Sea Mail (approx. 8-12 weeks depending on the destination), an upgrade for EMS Express (7-10 days) available for an additional 6600 yen. 

**Asia:  SAL Sea Mail (approx. 6-8 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (5-7 days) available for an additional 3350 yen. 

**Middle East, Central Asia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico:  EMS Express only (7-15 days).

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.