Iizuka Shokansai, "Seiryū" smoked bamboo hanakago

Smoked bamboo flower basket by Iizuka Shokansai (1919-2004), of slender cylindrical shape, with a powerfully braided handle. The work is distinguished by the sobriety of its construction and the extraordinary quality of its weaving, where the smoked bamboo strips create a highly regular openwork network. The seemingly simple form is in fact based on a very confident mastery of tensions, transitions, and connections, which give the whole its silent strength.

The smoked bamboo here offers a range of deep, nuanced browns, which animate the surface without breaking the unity of the piece. The body of the basket, tall and slightly constricted, is rhythmically woven with an open geometric pattern that allows light to circulate. The handle, made of several firmly twisted and joined strands, is one of the most remarkable features of the work. It not only serves a practical function: it emphasizes the vertical thrust of the piece and gives it an almost sculptural presence.

The inscription Seiryū – "Clear Stream" – is particularly fitting for this work. It suggests an idea of flow, purity, and continuity, in harmony with the visual flexibility of the weaving and the peaceful verticality of the basket. The signature Kōsai-saku is engraved on a bamboo strip extending into the body of the work. The basket comes with its matching tomobako and a black lacquered bamboo interior. A small crack in one bamboo strand is to be noted.

Iizuka Shokansai, second son of Iizuka Rōkansai, is one of the greatest masters of post-war Japanese bamboo art. A graduate of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, he then studied under his father and dedicated himself entirely to the art of bamboo. Selected for the Nitten exhibition in 1947, he exhibited there regularly. In 1950, he resumed the name Shokansai and received numerous distinctions. His work is recognized for the rare balance it achieves between rigor, dignity, and elegance.

This hanakago perfectly illustrates this major position. It seeks neither demonstrative effect nor gratuitous complication. Everything in it is restrained, just, measured. The beauty of the work lies in the quality of the material, the intelligence of the weaving, and the impression of calm that emanates from the form.

Dimensions: 17 × 16 cm; height approx. 35.5 cm.