Stoneware flower vase, Nanban style — Kuze Kyūhō I (初代久世久宝, 1874–1947)

A slender, short-necked Japanese stoneware flower vase in dark brown, unglazed stoneware. The upper section is decorated with fine vertical striations, then the surface becomes more textured and granular, with brownish-black hues and lighter areas resulting from the firing process. The base is marked with a circular seal. The vase is preserved in its original tomobako, which is also signed.

The style emphasized is that of Nanban in the world of tea: a deliberately understated aesthetic, valued for the presence of the material, the density of the stoneware and the fired "skin," rather than for added decoration. Here, everything hinges on the tension of the silhouette and the quality of the surface.

Kuze Kyūhō I (初代久世久宝, 1874–1947) was a potter active in Kyoto, associated with the Kyō-yaki/Awata-yaki style and the circle of teaware (chanoyu). Japanese sources state that he was born Hikogorō, son of the monk Ninkei. He initially worked under the name Jinyoku before adopting the artist name “Kyūhō” within the Urasenke school. His name is linked to forms of tea tasting, where the focus is on the precision of proportions and the quality of the materials.

Dimensions : 28 × 9 cm.