Item Description: 松原直之 Matsubara Naoyuki (1938–) This striking flat flask (扁壺, henko) is a masterwork of Mashiko ware, created by Naoyuki Matsubara, one of the most distinctive ceramicists to emerge from the celebrated pottery town of Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture. The vessel takes an unusual, architecturally bold form — a wide, hexagonal-shouldered flat body tapering to a narrow square mouth — a shape that bridges ancient Japanese ceramic traditions with a bold modernist sensibility. The entire surface is covered in a richly textured namako (sea cucumber)-style white crawl glaze, whose bubbly, cracked surface provides a dynamic visual field. Over this, Matsubara has applied free, calligraphic brushwork in deep iron-brown oxide pigment: sweeping arcs, organic spots, and dripping lines that evoke both the energy of abstract expressionism and the spontaneous beauty of traditional tetsue (iron picture) decoration. The crackle and crawl of the glaze interact with the painted marks in unpredictable ways, creating a lively tension between control and accident that is the hallmark of Matsubara's mature style. The base bears a carved artist's seal, and the piece comes with its original signed wooden box (共箱, tomobako), inscribed with the title and bearing the artist's red seal. An accompanying biographical document details Matsubara's training, prizes, and career. Size Height: 20 cm Width: 19 cm Depth: 11 cm Weight: 1894 g Condition The piece is in good overall condition with age-appropriate crazing and glaze crawl consistent with the artist's intended aesthetic; a minor glaze chip is visible at one corner of the mouth rim, as seen in the photographs. Artist Profile 松原直之 Matsubara Naoyuki (1938–) Naoyuki Matsubara was born in 1938 in Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture — the heart of Japan's most celebrated folk-pottery region. He trained under Kazuo Kimura and Kazuo Yagi, two of Mashiko's leading ceramicists, and established his kiln under the guidance of Ichiro Kimura. He received the Tochigi Prefecture Arts Festival Prize and exhibited as a representative artist at the Ueno Museum of Fine Arts in Tokyo. Matsubara co-founded the influential "Sangatsu-kai" (March Society) exhibition group together with his students Kanji Kasuya and Tadashi Fukuda, holding exhibitions at the Tokyo Modern Art Club in Tokyo's Tachibana district. His work fuses the robust, earthy quality of traditional Mashiko folk ceramics with a freely expressive, modern brushwork style rooted in the tetsue (iron-painted) tradition. NOITICE: The lot will be carefully packaged and sent by Japan Post, DHL or FedEx depend on the situation. It takes about 3 weeks to receive normally. Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Sometimes Customes or delivery company in your country contact you for Customs clearance via phone or email. Please make sure that you could answer the phone. If you don't, the parcel will return to me and it cost more double shipping fee for reshipping. I appreciate your cooperation.