Three-legged incense burner by Ogawa Bunsai

Width: 12.0cm x 12.0cm Height: 15.0cm

Three-legged incense burner
-Written by Bunsai Ogawa (6th generation)

This small incense burner has a fantastical appearance, as if it were a vessel for a spirit quietly burning incense deep in the forest. The "Three-legged Incense Burner" by Ogawa Bunsai (Oki) VI is a piece with a soft yet deep expression, with crazing running through the delicate celadon glaze with a slight yellowish tint. The natural pools of glaze on the surface and the network of fine crazing give it a warmth as if it has been used for many years, and give the impression of the accumulation of time.

The three legs that support the base of the piece are distinctive. Although they have an organic curve that resembles twisted earth, the overall balance is serene, giving the piece a light and elegant impression. The legs create distance from the space, creating space for the incense smoke to rise, further enhancing the original role of the incense burner - "designing a space centered around incense."

The fire shed (lid) has irregularly cut openwork that allows the wind to slip through as the incense rises, creating a structure that appeals to both the visual and tactile senses. The incense smoke rising from the openwork resonates with the overall shape of the work, bringing a gentle movement to the space.

Bunsai Ogawa's creative philosophy of "stillness and movement"

The sixth generation, Bunsai Ogawa, is the current head of Bunsai Kiln, which has been in business for over 150 years in Gojozaka, Kyoto. He is experimenting with a fusion of classical beauty and modern sensibility while pursuing a variety of expressions such as emerald glazes, yakishime, and sculptural forms.

The first generation, Ogawa Bunsai (Bunsuke), opened a kiln in Kaseyama in 1847, and continued his activities in Gojozaka since the Meiji era. The sixth generation, Oki, studied sculpture at graduate school before moving on to ceramics, and has built his own unique worldview with his three-dimensional compositional ability and deep curiosity about glazes. In particular, he has pursued the color "green," which has consistently been the axis of his work as a symbol of harmony, a connection between people that transcends conflict.

The soft color of this incense burner can truly be said to be part of that "lineage of green."

Reconstructing space with incense burners

An incense burner is not just a tool for burning incense. It is something that brings new "meaning" and "sensation" to a space. Incense is invisible and has no shape. However, the fragrance released through the incense burner quietly fills the space and gives "space" to people's hearts.

This "three-legged incense burner" is designed to maximize this effect. The smoke from the incense rises from the openwork lid and flickers in the light, bringing rhythm to the space. By raising the incense burner off the ground with its legs, it exerts its presence as a "floating vessel" rather than a "vessel to be placed."

A great attraction of this work is that it conveys in a visible form the change in the air brought about by the fragrance.

Beautiful vessels that live with fragrance

In front of the altar, in a study, or in a corner of a modern living room... This incense burner blends naturally into a variety of spaces, whether Japanese or Western, and brings "tranquility" and "breath" to them. By spending a brief "fragrant moment" in your daily life with this vessel, you will have an experience that relaxes your mind and sharpens your sensibilities.

A three-legged incense burner - a vessel for burning incense,
At the same time, it is a quiet, creative poem that "reconstructs" space and the mind.

The beauty of utility and spiritual tranquility passed down by the sixth generation Ogawa Bunsai still lives on here.
Please pick it up and experience its aroma.