White glaze streamline rectangular incense burner Yu Okada

Width: 24.0cm x 17.0cm Height: 9.6cm

White glazed rectangular incense burner with flowing lines (Hakuyu Ryusen Chohokei Koro) by Okada Masaru - "A vessel that evokes the gentle swaying of the moonlit water surface, releasing incense."

The incense burner creates a fragrant atmosphere

In tea ceremonies and the art of incense, incense is burned to set the mood in a room and purify it before welcoming guests. This rectangular incense burner quietly supports such time and space. The pure texture of the white glaze softly reflects light, and the streamlined edges guide the incense smoke as if to indicate a path for the wind.

The tranquility of white glaze

Unlike white porcelain, the white glaze has a soft milky white hue that changes color depending on the light, from ivory to pale snow. A very faint beige outline appears around the edge of the glaze, giving the entire piece a gentle warmth.

Matching at tea and incense ceremonies

History and design background

Japanese incense burners have evolved in a wide variety of forms, from Tang Dynasty celadon tripod incense burners to Momoyama period Raku incense containers and Edo period blue and white incense burners. While this piece is part of that lineage, it also transcends time by combining the simplicity of the white glaze - the "strength of plainness" reminiscent of Rikyu's wabi - with the modernism of flowing lines and the abstract forms of modern ceramics. The engraved lines and ridges capture the fog and wind of Uji's coal mines that Okada Masaru sees every day, creating a quiet resonance between the classic and the modern.

Message from the artist

Okada Masaru's production philosophy is "Let the wind blow gently inside and outside the vessel," and in this incense burner he visualized the movement of the wind through the "openness" of the tripod and the "flow" of the rectangle. The tranquility of the white glaze accentuates the fragrance of the incense, creating a refreshing breeze throughout the room every time it is burned.

Conclusion

The pale white of the white glaze, flowing lines, and the gentle rising of incense smoke - the white glazed rectangular incense burner adjusts the temperature of the space the moment it is placed, adding a clear, lingering impression to the "once-in-a-lifetime" experience of tea ceremony or incense ceremony. Please use it for a long time, along with seasonal fragrant woods and incense, and enjoy the taste of the white glaze, which deepens with time.