38. Copy of Kenzan's Cherry Blossom-Painted Sake Cup by Kosai Miyagawa

Height: 7.5cm Width: 6.5cm

"Kenzan's Sakura-e Sake Cup" is a piece that uses cherry blossoms, a symbol of spring, as its motif. It is characterized by warm, spring-like colors, and the surface of the vessel features delicately raised cherry blossom petals. While cherry blossom paintings often express softness and transience, this piece exudes a lively freedom and conveys the strength of the cherry blossoms that bloom all at once with the arrival of spring.

The appeal of large sake cups

This work is a sake cup that is slightly larger than a typical sake cup, allowing you to enjoy your sake slowly. It is characterized by its light weight and shape that fits comfortably in the hand, providing a luxurious moment to sip sake while admiring the cherry blossom painting. The size and depth of the sake cup create a comfortable feeling for the user, and it is a vessel that can be enjoyed visually as well.

What is a Kenzan copy?

"Kenzan copies" refers to works that imitate and develop the style of Ogata Kenzan, a master of Kyoto ware in the Edo period. Based on the techniques he learned from Nonomura Ninsei, who is considered the founder of Kyoto ware, Kenzan was influenced by his brother, the painter Ogata Korin, and incorporated the gorgeous floral patterns and bold designs of the Rinpa school into his works. Kenzan's works are characterized by their free and powerful designs, and are particularly popular among Kyoto ware. Kenzan and Korin brothers also collaborated on many works, and stories that show the bond between the brothers are still passed down today. The word "copy" does not simply mean to copy, but to incorporate the techniques of predecessors and add ingenuity. Kenzan's bold and sophisticated designs have influenced modern potters, and his free and innovative expressions are still passed down to this day in the form of "Kenzan copies."

The Miyagawa Kosai family and straw ash glaze

The straw ash glaze used in this piece is a precious glaze that has been handed down through generations of the Miyagawa Kosai family. It is characterized by a soft bluish hue and a warm surface, with a beautiful mellow milky white color that creates a dignified texture. This glaze is a symbolic technique of Makuzu ware, and is a traditional glaze that has been added to for over 200 years. Depending on the soil and firing method, the straw ash glaze can produce different colors, sometimes with a warm reddish hue and sometimes with a cool bluish-white finish. These variations give the piece individuality and invite new discoveries from the viewer.

The history and inheritance of Makuzu ware

Makkuzu ware was founded in Kyoto by Yukan Miyagawa Kobei Masakazu around 1684, and was popularized by Miyagawa Chozo V, who opened a kiln in Higashiyama Makkugahara. Chozo's fourth son Toranosuke later moved to Yokohama, where he took on the name of the first Makkuzu Kozan and made Makkuzu ware known both in Japan and overseas. Meanwhile, the Jihei family lineage continued Makkuzu ware under the first Miyagawa Kosai, and in 1934, the fourth Eiyo Kosai took on the name Makkuzu and began producing mainly tea ceremony utensils. Currently, the seventh generation Miyagawa Kosai continues to protect the techniques and traditions of Makkuzu.

The Miyagawa family's works and their international acclaim

The Miyagawa Kosai family's Makuzu ware is highly acclaimed not only in Japan but also internationally. Their works are housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Permanent Mission of Japan to UNESCO in Paris, and are beloved by many collectors and art lovers. The Kenzan Copy Sakura-no-e Sake Cup is a masterpiece that combines the beauty of cherry blossoms that evoke the arrival of spring with the charm of straw ash glaze, a traditional technique of the Miyagawa Kosai family. The strength and freedom of the cherry blossoms painted on the vessel brings the joy of spring to the user and enriches the time spent savoring sake.