生け花用花器 - Ceramic - Japan - 侘寂の廃墟—アートPC - Funakoshi Tamotsu - 船越保

Item Description:
Ruins of Wabi-Sabi — Black Ceramic Wall Vessel by Tamotsu Funakoshi
This is a striking kakebana-ire (掛け花入れ, hanging flower vessel) in black ceramic (kokutō, 黒陶) by Tamotsu Funakoshi 船越保, acquired directly at the artist's solo exhibition held from June 17, 2026, at Tou-Touan gallery.

The piece embodies a deeply personal artistic vision: the surface is deliberately fractured and crumbling, networks of fine cracks running across a charred, ash-dark surface, while a section of rusted wire mesh is embedded into the body itself — visible scaffolding holding the form together, as though excavated from ruin rather than freshly made.

This is not damage but the artist's intent: a meditation on impermanence, decay, and the beauty found in what is broken — wabi-sabi (侘び寂び) made tactile and architectural, with the spirit of a weathered ruin reborn as a vessel for flowers.

The black ceramic surface is the result of Funakoshi's distinctive firing process: pulled glowing-hot from the kiln at 800–900°C and rapidly carbonised in sawdust, then hand-burnished before firing to seal the carbon into the clay body, giving the surface its deep, light-absorbing black and its practical benefit of retaining moisture — cut flowers placed in kokutō vessels are known to stay fresh significantly longer than in glazed ceramics.

The form itself is asymmetric and irregular, evoking a fragment of weathered stone or eroded earth rather than a conventional vase — entirely consistent with Funakoshi's philosophy of "carving out nature itself" in his work.

A vintage metal fitting, sourced specifically by the artist for this purpose, is fitted to the back for wall mounting, but the piece is equally capable of standing freely on a flat surface, giving it genuine versatility as a sculptural object in its own right — whether displayed empty as a piece of contemporary art, hung on a wall, or used to hold a minimal ikebana arrangement.

Please handle with care:
hte cracked and fissured surface is integral to the artist's expression, but as a result the piece has areas of genuine fragility, particularly where the embedded wire mesh is exposed at the edges. We recommend gentle handling and secure mounting if hung.

Please also note:
at certain points, the ends of the embedded wire mesh protrude slightly from the surface. Please take sufficient care to avoid injury when handling this piece.

Size
Height: 15.7 cm

Width: 15.2 cm

Depth: 5.9 cm

Weight
516 g

Condition
New, acquired directly from the artist's 2026 solo exhibition.

The cracked, fissured, and crumbling surface texture is intentional and integral to the artist's design — this is not damage.

Please handle with care due to the deliberately fragile, fractured surface; some embedded wire mesh elements are exposed at the edges, as shown in the photographs.

Artist Profile
Tamotsu Funakoshi 船越保 is a Japanese ceramic artist who began his practice after the age of 40, following an earlier career as an automotive design professional.

He works primarily in two distinct traditions: Shigaraki-yaki (信楽焼), high-fired stoneware using wood-kiln ash glazing, and kokutō (黒陶), a carbonised black ceramic technique in which pieces are pulled from the kiln at high heat and rapidly blackened in sawdust.

Funakoshi fires exclusively in a wood-burning anagama kiln, embracing the unpredictability of flame and ash to create natural, unrepeatable surface effects that the tea masters of old called "keshiki" (景色, "scenery") — the aesthetic foundation of wabi-sabi.

His philosophy centres on creating vessels that harmonise with, rather than dominate, the flowers placed within them, drawing inspiration from his daily walks in the mountains and forests near his studio.

His work occupies a distinctive space between traditional Japanese ceramic philosophy and a strikingly contemporary, sculptural sensibility — as exemplified by this piece's deliberate use of embedded wire mesh and engineered cracking.

NOTICE:
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.

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It takes about 2–3 weeks to receive normally.

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