Features
– The aka-e technique × traditional auspicious motifs
Aka-e is the representative style of Japanese overglaze-enamelled ceramics, using red as the dominant colour with hand-painted detail, giving a strong visual impression and a festive air. This sweet box is painted with the classic plum-blossom and phoenix design, symbols of good fortune, purity, prosperity and long life, which makes it very suitable as a gift or as a vessel for the New Year.
– A two-tier design, practical and good for storage
The upper and lower tiers can be separated and used independently, suitable for all kinds of tea sweets, snacks and confectionery, and equally usable as a box for jewellery or small stationery items; it is highly practical.
– A mellow glaze, an even body and consistent quality of manufacture
The Tachikichi kiln is known for producing high-quality porcelain in quantity. On this piece the glaze has an even sheen and the edges of the painting are crisp; the workmanship is mature, representative of the better grade of everyday porcelain from the Shōwa to the early Heisei period.
– The seal-script mark Tachikichi on the base aids identification and adds to its collecting value
The mark is clear and legible, which helps to establish the kiln's background and the characteristics of the period, and is an important basis for collectors in identifying school and style.
◆ Suggested settings
– For use as a sweets vessel at tea gatherings, a wagashi box, or part of a welcoming tea tray
– Placed in an entrance hall, a Japanese room, a scholarly interior or a tea cabinet, as a vessel that both decorates and stores
– Arranged with dried flowers, sandalwood incense or stationery as a still-life display, giving an elegant Japanese sense of living
– Suitable as a gift for the New Year, for celebrations, for a move of house or for seasonal congratulations, conveying completeness and joy