Hohin

This is a new *houhin* (lidded teapot) by Koji Nakahara, who studied under Fumio Kawabata and aims to create works that suit modern living: the "Susogo" Gold-Leaf Nap Frog Finial *Houhin*. It is a large-scale piece with a highly unique design, characteristic of Nakahara-sensei, who often says his production speed cannot keep up with his ideas. Despite this being his first *houhin*, it is masterful how he drew inspiration from the works of master craftsmen of the past to create such an original design featuring a sleeping frog. Furthermore, cute tadpoles swim across the body to match the frog finial on the lid, a testament to Nakahara-sensei’s surprisingly witty and sophisticated ideas. This piece is named "Susogo Kin-sai" (Graduated Gold Leaf), applying the textile dyeing term *susogo* to describe its two-tone color scheme, featuring a platinum-shining gold-leaf surface contrasting with a deep, carbonized-looking gray. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter (including spout) 13.1cm × 10.5cm × Height (including lid) 9.6cm Koji Nakahara was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1978. He graduated from the Advanced Course at Nara College of Arts in 2000 and the Bizen Ceramic Center in 2001. That same year, he began his apprenticeship under Fumio Kawabata, and in 2007, he joined the Kaneshige Rito-en studio. Since then, he has actively exhibited his work at the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition and various other juried exhibitions. He is currently an associate member of the Japan Kōgei Association.