Natsume (Japanese tea caddy) in urushi lacquer and gold, decorated with oimatsu (old pine) and a Shiogama landscape by Suzuki Kōnyū

This natsume (box in which matcha powder is placed during the Japanese tea ceremony) by Suzuki Kōnyū, a renowned lacquer master from Kyōto trained at the prestigious Zōhiko house, is a particularly remarkable piece. An imposing oimatsu (old pine) unfolds on a glossy black urushi lacquer, its trunk and countless needles crafted with great delicacy in maki-e (gold powder decoration). The richness of the decoration, which continues inside the natsume with a landscape of Shiogama (a famous Japanese coastal landscape in Miyagi Prefecture), testifies to the lacquerer's great technical mastery.

The artisan

Suzuki Kōnyū is a lacquer master born in 1923 in Kyōto. In 1950, he joined Zōhiko, one of Kyōto's great historic lacquer houses, where he trained and perfected his craft for seventeen years. He became independent in 1967 and developed a production dedicated particularly to chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony) objects. His work is thus fully in line with the Kyō shikki (Kyōto lacquer) tradition, and his pieces are among the tea objects associated with great chanoyu masters, notably Hōunsai, the fifteenth grand master of the Urasenke school. In 2000, his son succeeded him and took the name Suzuki Kōnyū II.

Decoration and techniques

The exterior is dominated by a spectacular oimatsu (old pine) that unfolds from the body of the natsume to the top of the lid. The masses of needles are drawn one by one with fine gold lines, while the gnarled and powerful trunk is modeled in different shades of gold. The decoration is made in taka maki-e (raised maki-e), a technique in which the motif is built up in layers of lacquer before the application of gold powders, creating a slight perceptible relief on the surface. The trunk and ground are enriched with nashiji (gold powdered background), whose particles produce subtle effects of depth and light on the glossy black urushi lacquer.

The decoration continues in a particularly elaborate way inside the lid with a landscape of Shiogama, a famous coastal landscape in what is now Miyagi Prefecture, historically associated with salt production. On a background of scattered gold powder nashiji appear shioya (huts related to salt production), their thatched roofs and smoke rising from the hearths, as well as the instruments associated with this activity. In the background, the sea is represented by a succession of seigaiha (stylized waves), whose graphic repetition contrasts with the more pictorial treatment of the landscape. The inner lower part is entirely covered with dense and luminous nashiji, creating a superb contrast with the black lacquer of the exterior.

Shiogama has been a famous poetic place since classical times for its maritime landscape and salt production. The oimatsu, a monumental element of the exterior composition, represents the pine tree that has reached an advanced age: always green despite the passage of time, it is a powerful symbol of longevity, permanence, and vitality in Japanese art.

Form and use

This natsume is an ōnatsume (large natsume), used in the tea ceremony to hold matcha powder for the preparation of usucha (light tea).

Presentation

This piece comes with its tomobako (wooden protective box) bearing the name of the work, the signature, and the seal of Suzuki Kōnyū I. It is closed with a sanadahimo (cord).

Place of manufacture
Japan, Kyōto

Period
Shōwa era (1926 - 1989)

Dimensions
Diameter 7.4 cm - Height 7.5 cm

Weight
Natsume alone: 89 g
Natsume with box: 200 g

Materials
Wood, urushi lacquer, gold powders

Condition
Very good condition