Item Description: 蓮田修吾郎 Hasuda Shugoro（1915-2010）— Brass Incense Burner with Cursive Artist's Cipher A refined and elegant brass incense burner (koro) cast by Hasuda Shugoro — one of the most decorated and historically significant metalwork artists of modern Japan, recipient of the Order of Culture and member of the Japan Art Academy. The base bears an incised cursive-script artist's mark reading Shū (修) — an abbreviated personal cipher of the artist's given name Shugoro. The form is a classic flattened globular body on a broad, unobtrusive foot ring, with gently inward-curving sides and a wide, open mouth — a form of quiet confidence that speaks to the artist's mastery of traditional metal vessel proportions while maintaining a distinctly modern sense of restraint. The surface is cast in warm golden brass (ōdō) with a rich, naturally aged patina — deepened through decades of handling and use — that lends the piece an antique gravity entirely appropriate to its function as a vessel for fine incense. The interior retains traces of use. The unadorned exterior places all emphasis on the quality of the form itself: volumetric, composed, and immensely self-assured. A work of understated sophistication that would sit with equal grace in a tea room, a study, or a collector's cabinet. Size Height: 7 cm Width: 10.5 cm Depth: 10.5 cm Weight: 395 g Condition The piece shows age-related patina, surface scuffs, and traces of use consistent with its age; no cracks or structural damage noted. Please refer to photos for full details. Artist Profile 蓮田修吾郎 Hasuda Shugoro (1915–2010) was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and is widely regarded as the foremost pioneer of modern metal sculpture in Japan. After graduating from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts) in 1938, where he studied under the distinguished caster Takamura Toyochika, he went on to transform the field of chūkin (cast metalwork) from a traditional craft into a fully contemporary sculptural language. He was first accepted into the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) in 1949 and won its prestigious Special Selection Prize in 1951. He founded the Creative Craft Association in 1952 and received the Japan Art Academy Prize in 1962. He served as Professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts from 1975 and was named a member of the Japan Art Academy the same year. He was designated a Person of Cultural Merit in 1987 and received the Order of Culture — Japan's highest cultural honour — in 1991. His works are held in major public collections across Japan. 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.