Tatsuzo Shimaoka - Mug - Ceramic

An incredibly valuable collectible Guinomi, created by Master Tatsuzo Shimaoka, Living National Treasure of Japan (since 1996) and a world reference figure in the Mingei movement alongside his master Shoji Hamada.
Unlike the vast majority of Shimaoka's mass production, this piece bears the hand-engraved signature directly on the body of the work. In the expressive code of the great Japanese masters, this gesture reserved the work for the status of a personal masterpiece, distinct from regular production and deemed by the Master himself to possess superior aesthetics, firing, and formal perfection.
This cup bears a refined figurative motif depicting a monkey, made specifically to commemorate the Year of the Monkey in the Japanese zodiac cycle.
A paulownia wood box bearing the signature and autograph seal of Master Tatsuzo Shimaoka.
The work masterfully embodies the Mingei philosophy: the honesty of the material, the beauty of a daily-use object elevated to spiritual art, and the deep connection with the earth. A piece that best expresses the tactile purity, the sober strength, and the visual authenticity theorized by the movement's pioneers.