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At the height of his power,
warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), one of the "Three Great
Unifiers" of Japan, ordered the construction of a golden tea ceremony
room at Osaka Castle. The room would become a testament to his vast
wealth and influence and, against the sensibilities of his appointed
tea master, Sen no Rikyū, would be used for political and military
discussions. Honored guests were served tea from a glittering bowl
covered with pure gold.
The story of Hideyoshi's opulent tea room is the source of inspiration
behind the newest member of Suzuki Tomio's glazing repertoire -
yohen-kin shino. After nearly a decade of experimentation and
refinement, Mr. Suzuki has created a lustrous, golden glaze while
adhering to traditional shino making techniques. Although the
components of the glaze remain secret, the artist will concede that no
precious metal is used in the process. Unlike Hideyoshi's gold
covered tea bowl, the radiant character of yohen-kin shino is born
inside the kiln.
This inspired saké flask (tokkuri) is done in yohen-kin shino and
accented with vertical lines called taté-jima - Mr. Suzuki's most
recent creative impulse. The iron content in the base glaze
affects each overlapping layer, creating a wonderful sense of depth,
rhythm and texture around the entire piece.
See Suzuki Tomio's
Hanshin Gallery exhibition
for more from his 2009 collection.
special care instructions
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