13th Jun, 2025 10:00

Fine Japanese Art

 
Lot 219
 

219

HAMADA SHOJI: A RARE AND SUPERB WHITE-SPLASHED RUSSET-GLAZED STONEWARE VASE

Starting price
€2,400
Estimate
€5,000
 

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Lot details

By Hamada Shoji (1894-1978), unsigned
Japan, c. 1950-1970

Well potted with a rectangular body supported on a tapering foot, the long sides each of lozenge faceted form, the high angled shoulder surmounted by a short-waisted neck with thick square mouth. The roughly textured surface covered in a russet-iron wash and liberally splashed with russet and mottled white and bluish-gray glazes attractively pooling in beautiful drops.

HEIGHT 25.7 cm

Condition: Excellent condition with minimal wear.
Provenance: From a private collection in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Hamada Shoji (1894-1978) studied ceramics at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, then known as Tokyo Industrial College, with Kawai Kanjiro under Itaya Hazan. As the sole students in the school interested in becoming artist-potters, Hamada and the slightly elder Kawai soon became friends, touring the city in search of inspiration. Anchored in the Japanese Mingei movement created under the leadership of Soetsu Yanagi between 1910 and 1920, Hamada focused on the beauty of everyday pieces by settling in the traditional pottery village of Mashiko. He used local stoneware, which he turned or molded into vessels with concave or convex, faceted or raised walls and decorated with a ladle or brush. Shoji Hamada's reputation crosses borders, notably in France and England, where he built the first multi-chambered recumbent kiln of Asian type in the West with his long-time friend Bernard Leach. But it was in his native country that he achieved the greatest recognition, being named a Living National Treasure before his death in 1978.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related stoneware rectangular bottle vase by Hamada Shoji dated c. 1965, 22.9 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Works of Art, 17 September 2013, New York, lot 3324 (sold for USD 7,500).

 

By Hamada Shoji (1894-1978), unsigned
Japan, c. 1950-1970

Well potted with a rectangular body supported on a tapering foot, the long sides each of lozenge faceted form, the high angled shoulder surmounted by a short-waisted neck with thick square mouth. The roughly textured surface covered in a russet-iron wash and liberally splashed with russet and mottled white and bluish-gray glazes attractively pooling in beautiful drops.

HEIGHT 25.7 cm

Condition: Excellent condition with minimal wear.
Provenance: From a private collection in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Hamada Shoji (1894-1978) studied ceramics at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, then known as Tokyo Industrial College, with Kawai Kanjiro under Itaya Hazan. As the sole students in the school interested in becoming artist-potters, Hamada and the slightly elder Kawai soon became friends, touring the city in search of inspiration. Anchored in the Japanese Mingei movement created under the leadership of Soetsu Yanagi between 1910 and 1920, Hamada focused on the beauty of everyday pieces by settling in the traditional pottery village of Mashiko. He used local stoneware, which he turned or molded into vessels with concave or convex, faceted or raised walls and decorated with a ladle or brush. Shoji Hamada's reputation crosses borders, notably in France and England, where he built the first multi-chambered recumbent kiln of Asian type in the West with his long-time friend Bernard Leach. But it was in his native country that he achieved the greatest recognition, being named a Living National Treasure before his death in 1978.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related stoneware rectangular bottle vase by Hamada Shoji dated c. 1965, 22.9 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Works of Art, 17 September 2013, New York, lot 3324 (sold for USD 7,500).

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Auction: Fine Japanese Art, 13th Jun, 2025

  

Galerie Zacke is delighted to present Fine Japanese Art, a live auction featuring 600 lots spanning every era of Japan’s rich history.

The first 368 lots are elegantly showcased in our print catalog, curated to highlight Arts of the Samurai, Metalwork, Buddhist Art, Lacquerware, Porcelain, and Paintings & Woodblock Prints. Lots 369 to 600 are in our online catalog, dedicated to okimono, sagemono, and miniature works of art.

All 600 lots will be offered in a single continuous live auction beginning at 10 AM CET on 13 June.

We open with a dynamic selection of bronzes, metalwork, and samurai art. Notable highlights include a rare inlaid iron koro by Myochin Munenori (Lot 48), an impressive Myochin school suit of armor (Lot 108), and a superb tanto by Kunishige (Lot 120).

Our Buddhist Art section features incredible pieces such as a gilt-bronze figure of Jizo Bosatsu (Lot 150) and a large gilt-lacquered wood depiction of Kanzan and Jittoku (Lot 157).

We warmly invite you to explore the full catalog and join us live on 13 June for this exciting event. Learn more.

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2-6 June, 10-12 June 
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