Japanese Kiyomizu Rokubei VI ikebana vase camellia tomobako Showa, held in hands by woman in haori jacket

Japanese Kiyomizu Rokubei VI ikebana vase camellia tomobako Showa

Kiyomizu-yaki ikebana vase signed by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI, named "Shirotsubaki", with original tomobako and shiori documentation Shōwa period

Name: Japanese Kiyomizu Rokubei VI ikebana vase camellia tomobako Showa | KAIKO&CO
Brand: KAIKO&CO
Price: 750.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

€750.00

A grey-green cylinder with a white camellia near the base of the body. The white camellia flower sits brightly against dark brushwork. A branch with leaves painted in loose gestural strokes that look effortless and are not.

Above it, the glaze shifts and pools in variations of green, grey and near-black. The narrow neck rises straight from the shoulder. The whole piece has the quality of something made by someone who no longer needed to think about what they were doing.

The vase is covered in a sophisticated grey-green glaze that shows a fine, well-developed kanyuu crackle pattern. Adding a sense of depth and history to the stoneware. The way the crackle interacts with the speckled underglaze creates a subtle, organic texture that is highly valued in Japanese ceramics.

Kiyomizu Rokubei VI (六代清水六兵衞, 1901 to 1980) was the sixth generation of one of the most significant kiln lineages in the history of Kyo-yaki, a family with nearly 250 years of history in the Gojōzaka district of Kyoto. His work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

This piece comes with its original signed tomobako inscribed 白椿, shirotsubaki, white camellia, and the original printed shiori documentation tracing the Kiyomizu Rokubei lineage across every generation.

What makes this ikebana vase special

The up close look and feel

The glaze is speckled and matte in places, shifting between grey-green and near-black depending on the light and the thickness of the clay below. The white camellia is painted as a separate layer: a field of white slip, outlined in cobalt blue, with small brushstrokes at the centre for the stamens.

The dark branch below it is loose and confident, the kind of mark that takes decades to make look this easy. The neck is narrow and smooth. The unglazed base shows the raw clay body, warm and fine-grained, with the hexagonal seal pressed cleanly into the centre.

Charming details

The hexagonal seal on the base is the rokumoku mark, used by every head of the Kiyomizu Rokubei family since the 18th century. It was originally given to the first Rokubei by an abbot-prince who was so pleased with a set of black Raku cups that he granted the potter his personal seal.

The character inside the hexagon is 清, the first character of Kiyomizu. That same mark, pressed into the clay of this piece, connects it to a lineage that began in 1771. The documentation that comes with it traces every generation between then and now.

Because it is rare to find a Rokubei piece in Europe with the original box and documentation with it, I have added the full shiori below.

- Made by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI (六代清水六兵衞). Born 1901, Kyoto. Died 1980. Eldest son of Rokubei V, assumed the Rokubei name in 1946.
- Graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts and the Kyoto Special School of Painting before apprenticing under his father from 1925.
- Japan Art Academy Prize, 1957. Member of the Japan Art Academy, 1962.
- Works held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and National Crafts Museum, Tokyo. Professor, Kyoto City University of Arts.
- Known after the war for developing new techniques including unprecedented use of gold and silver coloration.
- The Kiyomizu Rokubei family lineage spans nearly 250 years.
- Signed: hexagonal rokumoku family seal impressed on the base. Tomobako signed and inscribed 白椿 (shirotsubaki, white camellia).
- Accompanied by the original printed documentation describing the Kiyomizu Rokubei lineage across all generations.
- Kyoto, Japan. Kiyomizu-yaki (Kyoto ware), also known as Kyo-yaki.
- Made in the Gojōzaka district, Kyoto, the historic centre of Kiyomizu ware production.
- Late Shōwa period, ca. 1970s.
- Height: ca. 22 cm
- Base diameter: ca. 7 cm
- Excellent vintage condition.
- Appears barely used, no chips, cracks or repairs visible.
- Glaze and craquelé intact throughout.
- Kyoto stoneware with painted overglaze decoration. For use as a flower vase, rinse briefly with clean water and dry thoroughly after use.
- The narrow neck suits single-stem or minimal ikebana arrangements.
- Clean the exterior with a soft dry cloth only.
- The white camellia decoration is a separate painted layer and should not be scraped or scoured.
- Keep away from hard impacts, particularly at the neck.
- Store in the original tomobako when not in use, but only after drying to prevent mold.