Features
◆ Japanese Akahada Ware Style
Akahada ware is one of the historic ceramic traditions of the Nara region of Japan, known for the spirit of Japanese tea ceramics, mellow forms and restrained decoration.
This piece is marked as Akahada ware; judging by its form and white glaze it also suits display in a Japanese tea room, tatami room or traditional interior.
◆ Pierced Cherry-Blossom Work
The body is pierced with many cherry-blossom shapes, the most recognisable feature of the piece.
Unlike flat painted decoration, piercing must balance the structure of the body with the placement of the openings: the pattern has to be beautiful without compromising the stability of the vessel after firing, which makes it markedly skilled work.
◆ Clear, Refined White Glaze
The glaze is an ivory to milky white; soft to the eye rather than assertive, it lets the pierced cherry blossoms take the lead.
It therefore suits not only traditional Japanese interiors but also modern minimalist, wabi-sabi, Muji-like, Zen and even softly luxurious homes.
◆ A Different Play of Light When Lit
With a pierced ceramic lamp of this kind, the light is what makes it.
With a suitable lamp or safe light source inside, light spreads out through the blossom pattern and casts soft shadows on walls, tabletops and the surrounding space.
In a dimly lit tea room, study or entrance hall it creates a quiet, settled atmosphere with a Japanese feeling.
◆ With the original wooden tomobako
The piece comes with its original wooden tomobako, inscribed in ink with characters reading 燈支器 (lamp vessel). For collectors of Japanese antiques and ceramics a tomobako usually makes a piece feel more complete than the object alone, and it also makes everyday storage, transport and keeping easier.