Vase - Stoneware - Japan - 草場Kusaba Masato-SnowTree

Item Description
A striking studio ceramic vase by Kusaba Masato, a Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) associate artist based in Arita, Saga Prefecture, one of Japan's most historic porcelain-producing regions.

Note:
Concerning Photos No.5 & 7 are Real sample Photos , not AI .
"Images displaying this artwork inside a room setting are sample staged to show interior context.
Please refer to the written dimensions and direct standalone photos for the definitive size, color, and physical condition of the piece."

The vase is hand-built with a gently irregular, deliberately cut rim and three small decorative lugs, giving it a strong, modern sculptural presence rather than the symmetry of wheel-thrown ware.
Its surface is worked in the artist's signature "zome" (染, dyed glaze) technique, combining rich indigo-blue tones with a heavily textured white slip to suggest snow-laden branches against a wintry sky, a poetic, painterly landscape rendered directly onto the clay.
The interior and rim are finished in a crisp white glaze that contrasts beautifully with the dark, textured exterior.
The base is signed in underglaze blue with the artist's mark.
The piece is titled "花瓶" (Flower Vase) on its original signed wooden storage box (tomobako), and comes together with the artist's own career history document (tōreki), both of which accompany the piece and add valuable confirmation of authenticity and provenance.
Believed to date from the 1990s.
A refined and atmospheric piece for admirers of contemporary Japanese studio ceramics.

Size
Height: 24.7 cm
Diameter (body): 13.4 cm

Weight 1516 g

Condition
Very good condition overall, with only slight signs of age-related use.

Artist Profile
Kusaba Masato 草場正人（1924- ）.
Born in Taisho 13 (1924) in Arita, Saga Prefecture, the historic heart of Japanese porcelain production, Kusaba began his path in ceramics after being demobilised at the end of the Second World War.
He became an associate member (kaiyū) of Nitten, the prestigious Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, after being selected for the exhibition on numerous occasions, and was also a long-standing member of the Saga Prefecture Ceramic Art Association and the Saga Prefecture Art Association.
Over his career he received numerous awards, including the Minister of Education Award at the Kyushu-Yamaguchi Ceramics Exhibition (Heisei 1 / 1989) and the Saga Prefecture Cultural Merit Award (Heisei 1 / 1989), and he served as a juror for the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (Showa 63 / 1988).
His work reflects a lifelong exploration of texture and glaze inspired by the natural world, as expressed in his own words on his career document: an attempt to discover beauty and himself through his craft, like a wildflower living out its pulse in the present moment.

Notice
Please note the following before purchasing.

The photos may show flowers, plants, pedestals, etc. as examples of decorations and interior design for illustrative purposes, but please note that these are not included in the product.

The lot will be carefully packaged and sent by DHL, FedEx or Japan Post depending on the situation.
Please note that we may use recycled cardboard boxes for outer packaging.
It takes about 2–3 weeks to receive normally.

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