Mitsui Tamekichi Kutani Gosai Guinomi Sake Cup, Karako (Chinese Children)

A guinomi by Kutani master Mitsui Tamekichi, painted with playing karako children in the full five-colour Kutani palette.

Mitsui Tamekichi (born 1935) took over his family's Kutani studio in 1961; the dealer notes commendations from the Minister of Labour (1971) and the Prime Minister (1987), along with imperial acquisitions and exhibition recognition abroad. The cup is painted in gosai, the five overglaze enamels that define classic Kutani: green, deep blue, purple, yellow and red. Karako, children in Chinese dress at play, are a long-standing motif of good fortune and family prosperity in Japanese ceramics, and here they are drawn with lively, detailed brushwork around the small, deep form.

Details

• Artist: Mitsui Tamekichi (三ツ井為吉), Kutani
• Decoration: karako (唐子), five-colour overglaze enamels
• Material: porcelain
• Size: approx. 6 cm diameter × 5 cm high
• Box: paulownia box (桐箱)
• Condition: new

Watch: how Kutani porcelain is painted

A TEWAZA craft film showing Kutani ware techniques, from Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square. (A general craft video — not this piece or maker.)

Please read before ordering

• Limited availability. We confirm availability with the dealer in Japan within one business day of your order; if it has sold we refund in full immediately.
• Ships from New Jersey in 2–3 weeks. Price includes all import duties. Fully insured, signature required.
• Professionally double-boxed for shipping.