Taishō to Early Shōwa Period Kutani Large Bowl with Hand-Painted Gilt Warrior Design, Kukuryūdō
This large bowl comes from Kukuryūdō, a well-known Kutani-line workshop, and dates to around the Taishō to early Shōwa period. It has a wide mouth and moderate depth, with tall, generous proportions — a display-plate size that can serve as the main piece in a display. The center of the bowl features a warrior with long, flowing hair: he wears Japanese armor and a kariginu robe drawn with a fine brush, the drapery painted in layers of brown, ink black, green and fine gold, and the painter deliberately strengthened the fold lines so that one seems to feel the wind blowing head-on. With his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, half kneeling and half rising, he seems to be holding his ground against the wind, his expression focused and resolute, full of dramatic tension. The background sets him off with pale-ink mountains and trees, and the light and shade of foreground and distance are handled delicately to create depth and space. The base bears a handwritten “Kukuryūdō” mark in red, upright and clear in its calligraphy, giving a firm basis for its origin and date and adding to its value for collecting and study. (There is one fine hairline crack on the interior.)
