【Important notes】 ・International buyers are responsible for any import duties, taxes, and charges not included in the item price or shipping cost. Please note that VAT paid to Catawiki is separate from and does not cover import duties or customs charges in your country. You may still be required to pay additional fees upon delivery, as determined by your local customs authorities. ・Shipping Details: Most items are shipped via Japan Post EMS (airmail). If you are in a hurry, we can arrange shipping via DHL or FedEx upon request for an additional fee. ・Damage and Issues: If you receive a damaged item, please contact us immediately. The damage must be reported to your local post office within 7 days of delivery, and promptly to us and Catawiki support. 【Product details】 An elegant large lacquer tea caddy by Kaga maki-e artist Soryo Tanaka（田中宗凌）, made after a favoured design associated with Hounsai, the 15th-generation Grand Master of the Urasenke school of tea. The body is made from keyaki (Japanese zelkova), finished in translucent tame-nuri lacquer that allows the striking natural grain of the wood to remain clearly visible beneath the rich reddish-brown surface. The interior is finished in glossy black lacquer. The lid is decorated with a charming figure riding an ox, a motif associated with the Zen Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, rendered in gold maki-e with red lacquer accents. Graceful plum branches in gold maki-e extend across the lid and body, their blossoms symbolising the arrival of spring. Maki-e is a traditional Japanese decorative technique in which gold or silver powder is applied to wet lacquer to create intricate designs. Soryo Tanaka is a lacquer artist from Yamanaka, Ishikawa Prefecture, who studied under the noted Kaga maki-e master Soin Nakamura. He has specialised in tea utensils such as natsume and incense containers, combining the natural beauty of keyaki wood with refined maki-e decoration suited to the aesthetics of the Senke tea traditions. The original wooden storage box（tomobako）is inscribed “Ox-Riding Maki-e, after Hounsai’s favoured design, Keyaki Tame-nuri Large Natsume” (騎牛蒔絵 鵬雲斎好写 欅溜 大棗) and signed “Soryo” (宗凌) with the artist’s seal. Also included are the yellow cloth, the artist’s biographical leaflet and the original labelled outer paper box. The tea caddy and wooden box are in very good condition with only minimal signs of age and use. The yellow cloth has a few faint spots from storage. Please refer to the photographs for details. ※Important: For Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco and Portugal, orders of €150 or less cannot currently be shipped due to the new €3 customs duty/IOSS issue. There is no confirmed resumption date. Please do not bid unless you are prepared to wait. Orders over €150 are not affected. Dimensions: approx. H 7.3 cm W 7.3 cm D 7.3 cm ・Please make sure to review all the provided information, description, and images before placing your bid. The items shown in the photos are what is included in the lot. If anything shown as included is missing upon delivery, please contact us immediately. ・Some display stands or other items in the photos may be photography props and are not included in the sale. Please read the description carefully to confirm what is included. ・We make every effort to accurately represent the product's colors and textures in our photos. However, due to differences in monitors and device displays, as well as photographic conditions, slight color variations between the photos and the actual product may occur. We ask for your understanding in advance. Thank you for your interest, and happy bidding!