Vase Sometsuke Sansui Landscape | The first-generation head of the Shinemon Kiln [146185]

[size]
Width: 15.5 cm / Height: 18.3 cm
Width: 6.1 in / Height: 7.2 in

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This work was created by the late Sh inichiro Baba, the first-generation founder of the Sh inemon Kiln, one of the most renowned kilns represent ing Arita ware. On a small vase, he boldly pa inted a landscape (sansui) scene in traditional blue-and-white (sometsuke). The moderate size of the vessel, neither too large nor too small, allows it to embody qu intessential Japanese aesthetics?quietude, dignity, and the beauty of wabi-sabi.

Today, the Sh inemon Kiln is known as a lead ing studio in the art of yohen, a technique that masterfully manipulates glazes to achieve dramatic effects. However, this piece is not yohen but sometsuke. It was made by Sh inichiro Baba himself dur ing his career, at the time he founded the kiln. Through this fundamental Arita ware pa int ing technique, he demonstrated his skill with a confident hand. S ince sometsuke works are rarely produced by the Sh inemon Kiln today, this piece stands as a rare and valuable example.

The slightly narrowed mouth of this medium-sized vase makes it ideal for present ing a s ingle stem or blossom. Its ref ined form, while modest, enhances the natural beauty of flowers and br ings a sense of calm and quietude to any space. When a simple flower is placed inside, vessel and nature blend harmoniously, invit ing appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic of spaciousness and subtle beauty.

The depicted motif, sansui (landscape), features mounta ins, rivers, lakes, trees, and rocks, while human presence is m inimal. When people or build ings are included, they are rendered small with in the grandeur of nature. Landscape pa int ing has been deeply influenced by Daoism, Confucianism, and Zen Buddhism?philosophies that value harmony with nature. Thus, sansui art reflects these spiritual ideas, express ing a search for inner depth through depictions of the natural world. Beyond ceramics, it has long been a central theme in ink pa int ings and hang ing scrolls, represent ing one of the most classical subjects in East Asian art.

From the perspective of technique, this work was executed in sometsuke, pa int ing on the bisque-fired surface before glaz ing. The flow ing strokes and delicate touches characteristic of sometsuke vividly capture the subtle world of landscape pa int ing. Because the porous surface absorbs the brushwork immediately, no corrections can be made?each l ine must be completed in a s ingle attempt. This piece, therefore, embodies patience, concentration, and compositional mastery, brought together in a work of remarkable accomplishment.



[Potter Profile]
Sh inichiro Baba (deceased)

The first-generation head of the Sh inemon Kiln
Member of Nitten / Full Member of the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Association / Member of the Saga Prefecture Ceramic Association / Member of the Arita Ceramic Association


[Sh inichiro Baba's career is as follows ]
Born in 1924 in Arita, Saga Prefecture
1972: Founded the Sh inemon Kiln in Arita.
1979: Selected for the Prefecture Exhibition with "Hexagonal Celadon Bowl."
1981: Selected for the Nitten exhibition with "Oil Spot Tenmoku Large Bowl," subsequently selected 21 times.
1989: Appo inted as an art exhibition judge.
2000: Exhibited "Saiun-99" and "Sai-99" at the British Museum in London (Saga Prefecture Ceramic Exhibition).
2004: Exhibited "Saikei" and "Saimon" at the Arita Pottery Exhibition in Germany.

[Ma in Awards]
1983: Won the First Place Bijutsu Kyokai Prize at the Bijutsu Kyokai Exhibition for "C innabar Flower Vase."
1986: Received the Grand Prize and the Contemporary Craft President's Prize at the Contemporary Crafts Kyushu Exhibition.
1996: Awarded the Contemporary Craft Prize at the Contemporary Craft Exhibition for "Akebono no Nagisa."
2000: Received the Full Member Prize at the Contemporary Craft Exhibition for "Rensaku・Sai."