Rakusai Takahashi III - Censer - Ceramic - Whom

A refined Kogō (incense burner/container for the tea ceremony) in antique Shigaraki-yaki ceramic, made about 60 years ago by the skilled hands of Master Rakusai Takahashi III (1898–1976). A piece of extraordinary visual poetry and historical value.
The work is skillfully molded to evoke the essential, evocative forms of a Buddhist temple. A classic subject in ceramic tradition that unites the ritual of tea with sacred spirituality.
The surface shows the raw material at its finest: a high-temperature firing without glaze, where the small grains of raw feldspar clearly emerge. This fascinating natural effect is traditionally called crab’s eyes, a hallmark of the finest Shigaraki clay that perfectly embodies the wabi-sabi aesthetic.
Rakusai Takahashi III is among the most influential and revered figures in postwar history for the revival of the Six Ancient Kilns. He was awarded in 1964 the title of Living National Treasure of Shiga Prefecture.
Hand-engraved signature by the Master on the base of the piece, an era-appropriate paulownia wood box signed and sealed in the author’s own hand, and an original document with the artist’s biographical and exhibition profile.