Hashigui-shaped Mizusashi by Kamei Miraku XIV 亀井味楽十四代

Japan, Takatori, second half of the 20th century.

Large Takatori stoneware mizusashi, with a vertical rectangular shape, pierced with a wide circular opening and closed by a black lacquer lid. The silhouette possesses great architectural strength. The body rises like a hollowed-out block, with a lateral cut-out and an interplay of solids and voids that transform the utensil into a constructed volume. The shape, called hashigui, literally "bridge pile," does not denote a specific function but a type of profile. Here, it deeply renews the traditional mizusashi by transforming it from a supple or cylindrical container into an almost sculptural presence, based on verticality, right angles, hollowing, and the tension between mass and opening.

The light, soft, and slightly irregular surface is kept in a register of great sobriety. Nothing about it suggests added decoration. The effect arises from the form itself, the quality of the clay, the restraint of the glaze, and the contrast with the black lacquered lid. This economy of means is very appropriate for Takatori: it keeps the object in the world of tea while giving it an unusual plastic authority. The mizusashi retains its use in chanoyu, as a fresh water container, but above all, it imposes a spatial and constructive reading that makes it one of the highlights of the tea setting.

Born in 1931, Kamei Miraku XIV is one of the great figures of modern Takatori-yaki. Trained by his grandfather, Kamei Miraku XIII, he took the name of the fourteenth generation in 1964. In 1977, he was recognized as the first holder of the intangible cultural heritage of Fukuoka City for the Takatori-yaki technique. He then received an international art and culture award in 1988, a technical merit award from Fukuoka Prefecture, and then the Yellow Ribbon Medal in 2001. His work is in line with the taste of Enshū, that is, an ideal of tea based on clarity of form, correctness of proportions, restrained elegance, and distinction without excess.

This piece precisely shows how Kamei Miraku XIV renews a traditional mizusashi form without departing from the spirit of Takatori. The vocabulary of tea remains intact, but it is pushed towards a bolder construction. The container is no longer just a vessel; it becomes an almost abstract form, where the circular opening acts as a visual focal point and the entire body reads like a small architecture. This shift gives the utensil a rare sculptural intensity, without breaking with the calm and poise characteristic of tea objects.

The original tomobako further enhances the interest of the ensemble. It mentions the provenance from the Yokodakeyama Sōfukuji temple, which places the piece in a particularly significant context of transmission and use. The presence of the black lacquered lid, perfectly adapted to the upper part, completes this very successful tension between monastic austerity, tea refinement, and formal invention.

Original tomobako, Kamei Miraku XIV seal on the reverse and on the tomobako.

Dimensions: height 30 cm; width 24.3 cm; depth 15.1 cm.