Hello everyone, how are you all doing?
With the weather warming up, we were able to welcome many customers over the three-day weekend.
Thank you very much for taking the time to visit us.
Now that things at the shop have settled down a bit,
I would like to introduce some unique and rare items that we have specially borrowed from a customer's collection.
The first piece is "The Tardy Cat" by Mitsuru Shimamura.
Mr. Shimamura is fresh in our memory for winning the 74th Sanyo Shimbun Award,
but he is also a veteran artist who has dedicated his life to fine ceramic figurines and has won numerous other awards.
In an interview following his recent Sanyo Shimbun Award, he stated,
"I want to convey not just the technique, but the spirit of our predecessors,"
which shows how much he values the essence of the Bizen tradition that has been passed down through generations.
It is precisely because he values tradition that he is able to forge a new path in figurine work through his own unique expression.
Perhaps the witty and fresh motifs, as represented by this "Tardy Cat," are Mr. Shimamura's true hallmark.
"The Tardy Cat" is inspired by the story of the Chinese zodiac,
a famous tale where the cat missed out on being in the zodiac because the rat told it the wrong date, and to this day, the cat is still chasing the rat.
In this piece, the cat's slightly clumsy pose is incredibly charming,
and looking at it, one cannot help but feel as though it is lamenting having arrived too late.
Alternatively, if we view the great masters who came before him as the zodiac animals,
I can't help but think that Mr. Shimamura sees himself as the "tardy cat," creating his own unique figurines and passing the baton to the next generation.
It feels like his own unique answer to the classic Bizen zodiac theme.
A truly unique pose that looks like it's tumbling or stretching.
The paw pads and the thickness of the tail are simple and clear, yet crafted with magnificent precision.
This is an earlier work, fired in an ana-gama kiln with sesame (goma) and scarlet (hidasuki) markings.
Reference piece size: 14.0cm diameter × 13.6cm diameter × 4.3cm height