Item Description This is an E-Karatsu (painted Karatsu) flower vase by Munehiko Maruta, born in 1961, a distinguished contemporary Karatsu pottery artist. The piece exemplifies the traditional E-Karatsu technique, featuring iron oxide brush painting on a warm, earthy clay body, finished with a translucent ash glaze that allows the painted designs to show through beautifully. Maruta is recognized as one of the leading artists working in the Karatsu tradition today. Born into the family of Karatsu ware potters in Saga Prefecture's Kuromuta, he trained under Atsuya Hamada (third son of Shoji Hamada) at Mashiko from 1980 to 1984. After returning to his hometown, he established the Uchida Saraya Kiln in 1987, dedicated to researching and recreating ancient Karatsu techniques. This flower vase showcases Maruta's mastery of the E-Karatsu style, with spontaneous yet deliberate brush strokes creating a naturalistic design. The firing process in a traditional climbing kiln (noborigama) produces the characteristic warm color variations and subtle kiln effects that are highly prized by collectors. The piece comes with the original signed wooden box (tomobako), ensuring authenticity. E-Karatsu has been treasured by tea ceremony practitioners and collectors since the Momoyama period for its rustic beauty and quiet elegance. Maruta's interpretation brings fresh vitality to this historical tradition while maintaining deep respect for its origins. Size Height: 24 cm Width: 11.2 cm Depth: 11.2 cm Condition The piece is in good vintage condition with minor age-appropriate signs of use. Artist Profile Munehiko Maruta (born 1961) is a highly respected Karatsu pottery artist based in Takeo, Saga Prefecture, Japan. Born into a family of ceramic artists, his grandfather Torama Maruta revived Kuromuta ware in 1929, and his father Masami Maruta was known as "the leader of Kyushu folk pottery." After graduating high school in 1980, Maruta trained for four years under Atsuya Hamada (third son of renowned potter Shoji Hamada) in Mashiko. He returned to Saga and established the Uchida Saraya Kiln in 1987, later adding the Sarayagawa Noborigama (climbing kiln) in 2000. Maruta is dedicated to researching ancient Karatsu techniques while developing his own distinctive style. He fires his works using traditional wood-firing methods in both climbing kilns and hole kilns (anagama), producing a range of Karatsu styles including Madara-Karatsu, Chosen-Karatsu, E-Karatsu, and Kohiki. His works have been exhibited regularly at prestigious venues including Shibuya Kuroda Toen in Tokyo, Umeda Hankyu in Osaka, and numerous galleries throughout Japan. Maruta's dedication to ancient techniques combined with his individual artistic vision has earned him recognition as one of the foremost Karatsu artists of his generation. NOITICE: The lot will be carefully packaged and sent by Japan Post, DHL or FedEx depend on the situation. It takes about 3 weeks to receive normally. Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Sometimes Customes or delivery company in your country contact you for Customs clearance via phone or email. Please make sure that you could answer the phone. If you don't, the parcel will return to me and it cost more double shipping fee for reshipping. I appreciate your cooperation.