Hotei Japanese Prints

EXTRAORDINARY LACQUERWARE – Luxurious phoenix natsume In our previous post we wrote about the types of natsume (lacquer tea caddy/theebusje for the Japanese tea ceremony) and showed some of the natsume we currently have available for sale. This time we highlight this luxurious golden natsume, decorated with many small flecks of gold, a flying phoenix in gold raised lacquer and with inlaid mother of pearl detail on the phoenix’s tail and paulownia leaves in gold raised lacquer. The interior is decorated with another lacquer technique called nashiji: finely gold sprinkled powder. The artist has signed the natsume in gold lacquer on the bottom. Japanese art objects come with an original box (tomobako) which is also a means of authenticating the work, but this natsume comes with three (!) boxes: the outer box is of washi paper, what follows is a luxurious wooden box, followed by the original box which is made to exactly fit the natsume and is signed by the artist. The artist, Yoshida Kasei (b.1940) has his own studio called ‘Kasei studio’, where he also teaches his craft to the next generation. Exhibiting not only all over Japan but also abroad, he is an established maki-e lacquer artisan who has won many prizes and continues to create lacquerware of the highest standard up until today! You can find this natsume here: https://www.hotei-japanese-prints.com/new/objects-item/274/stockno-K21-062/Lacquer/2/Yoshida_Kasei_(b._1940)?p=objects View all the lacquerware we currently have available here: https://www.hotei-japanese-prints.com/objects?name=Lacquer&page=1&p=objects

NATSUME – LACQUER ART TREASURES Among our new acquisitions we have a diverse selection of natsume (tea caddy/theebusje for the Japanese tea ceremony). View the images for an impression of some of the shapes and exterior textures and decoration techniques. But what are natsume exactly? Natsume are tea canisters of lacquer, used in the Japanese tea ceremony. The name is derived from the shape of these canisters with lids: they have the shape of jujube fruit (red date). The most common form is the 'Rikyū form' (Rikyū-gata), named after the famous Sen no Rikyū (1522-1591), founder of the Japanese tea ceremony. The shape: a subtle bulge at the lid and a narrowing towards the bottom. Natsume play a central role in the Japanese tea ceremony, as they serve as temporary storage for the matcha (Japanese green tea powder) before it is prepared. They are also called usucha-ki/usuki (thin or weak tea containers). Another type of tea caddy exists: chaire, made of ceramic and used for a thicker type of tea (koicha). Natsume tea canisters have a wooden core, followed by many layers of Japanese lacquer. This makes natsume precious objects: Japanese lacquer is a scarce and expensive material and a labor and time-intensive process. Other materials often used are gold, silver and inlaid mother-of-pearl. Natsume come in three sizes: large (大棗 ō-natsume, ca. 8 cm), medium (中棗 chū-natsume ca. 6.6 cm), and small (小棗 ko-natsume ca. 5 cm). The 'flat lid' variant (平棗 hira-natsume) has a 2:1 ratio of diameter to height, and – as the name suggests – no bulging at the top of the lid. With the 'long bottom' variant (尻張 - shiribari stretched bottom) it is the bottom that has a larger diameter than the lid. Another common shape is nakatsugi (中次), a perfectly cylindrical shape where the bottom and top are flat. The line where lid and body meet is in the center of the canister (中). Similar, but with a different shape of the lid is the fubuki shape (吹雪) 'square-shouldered'. The great variety, technical skill and beautiful materials make that these lacquer art treasures are collected all over the world! 🖱 You can find our current selection of available natsume here: https://www.hotei-japanese-prints.com/objects?name=Lacquer&page=1&p=objects

JANUARY NEWSLETTER – GALLERY OPEN AGAIN Our first newsletter of 2022 is out now and the gallery is open again. We also have new acquisitions available for sale: from prints to lacquerware, including two beautiful fine etchings by Tanaka Ryōhei(1933-2019)! 📮Read our newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/2658ff246226/hotei-jan2022?e=7b2949e819 The newsletter is in Dutch: click the ‘translate’ button on the top right to translate to your language of choice.

VIRTUAL TOUR – PAN ART FAIR 2021 - The PAN Amsterdam art fair is in full swing and we are happy to welcome so many customers and new faces to our stand. As a bonus, this year we have a virtual tour of our stand, so that you can take a look at we have for sale this year at home. You can view the tour here: https://tours.labradoodledigital.com/page/hotei-japanese-prints/hotei-japanese-prints-pan-amsterdam You can view the tour in the browser on your computer, but also on your mobile phone or tablet. Even VR (virtual reality) is possible. In the bottom left corner is a play button, which automatically plays the tour, but you can of course freely walk through, zoom in and view details. Clicking on the dots in the tour will give you more information about the artworks. We have indicated which pieces have already been sold. You are welcome in the RAI Amsterdam every day until Sunday 21 November from 11:00 - 18:00. A visit is definitely worth it! You will find Hotei Japanese Prints (booth 137) immediately left from the entrance, where we present the finest prints, lacquer objects, paintings, ceramics, bronzes and more. Thank you Ernst Cilliers from Labradoodle Digital for the beautiful digital tour of our stand.

HOTEI AT PAN - The PAN Amsterdam art fair (14-21 November, RAI Amsterdam) is well underway! You will find Hotei Japanese Prints (booth 137) immediately left from the entrance, where we present the finest prints, lacquer objects, paintings, ceramics, bronzes and more. Curious to see our stand? Labradoodle Digital has made this teaser video to give you a sneak peek! Soon you will also be able to take a virtual tour of our stand, including all the information of each artwork available. Thank you Ernst Cilliers from Labradoodle Digital! We look forward to welcome you also in real life at our stand at the art fair.

PAN AMSTERDAM 2021 – New opening times! - For those holding tickets for the opening tomorrow 13 November the fair will open at 12.00, so two hours earlier than planned. The fair closes at 18.00 hours. - The opening hours of the fair are 14-21 November 11:00-18:00 hours. - The Art Evenings on 18 and 19 November have been cancelled. As you can see from the pictures, our booth is ready! You will find Hotei Japanese Prints (booth 137) immediately left from the entrance, where we present the finest prints, lacquer objects, paintings, ceramics, bronzes and more. All visitors to PAN Amsterdam must be in the possession of a valid COVID Certificate showing vaccination, recovery or a negative test result - no older than 24 hours - as well as a valid proof of identity. PAN Amsterdam is a safe and spacious location. PAN Amsterdam follows the latest guidelines from the government and the RIVM. PAN Amsterdam RAI Amsterdam

PAN 2021 HIGHLIGHTS: A golden double six-panel screen This folding screen by Yoshida Hiroshi (1876-1950) is a spectacular highlight of our offerings at this year’s PAN Amsterdam ART FAIR from 14-21 November 2021 at RAI Amsterdam. Yoshida Hiroshi is mostly known for his prints of landscapes inside and outside Japan largely produced during the 1920s and 30s. Before his turn to the medium of woodblock printing however, Yoshida worked with oils and watercolours in the field of yōga (Western style painting). This influenced his woodblock prints, which are famous for their gentle painterly feel. Less well-known are the commissioned ink paintings Yoshida created early in his career. Yoshida considered these paintings in Japanese style, often in the format of the hanging scroll (Kakemono) a hobby. Landscapes and subjects from the animal world were popular, but tigers were the no. 1 request. This pair of six panel folding screens, each measuring 1.75m (height) x 3.79 m (width) was most likely a commission from a very wealthy client: the painting of this group of tigers on a golden silk background is bordered by a luxurious black lacquer frame, decorated with gold ornaments. The dating of this screen is difficult, but we think that it probably dates from around 1925/26. In 1926 he produced one print of a tiger’s head. Screens of this quality and in such excellent condition are rare. Years ago Hotei sold a double screen by Yoshida depicting Mount Fuji to the Rijksmuseum. This huge item will take up one entire wall of our booth at the PAN alongside an enormous variety of Japanese works of art, on which we will inform you through our newsletter and Instagram posts. Want to subscribe to our newsletter? Click here: https://tinyurl.com/bpa5t7vc

PAN 2021 & A RARE FIND: KYŌSAI’S ‘PLAYFUL ELEPHANT’ SERIES We are happy to announce our participation in the yearly PAN Amsterdam ART FAIR from 14 - 21 November 2021 at RAI Amsterdam. You will find our booth left from the entrance, where we present the finest prints, lacquer objects, paintings, ceramics, bronzes and more. Read more about the PAN in our latest newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/6z7hh6vw One of our highlights is an extraordinary set of four (out of five) prints by Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889) published in April 1863. That same month an Indian elephant arrived in Japan, causing a great sensation amongst the public. The animal was promptly eternalized in many woodblock print designs, but the now exceedingly rare series by Kyōsai - ‘Sensational Arrival from India: Elephants at Play’ - depicts the mammal as has never been done before. The animal is seen playing with foreigners and includes clever puns and mitate (parodies) on Japanese games and customs. What truly sets this series apart is the way in which Kyōsai has depicted the elephants. A central element in the artist’s practice was to draw from life and in this case we also know that Kyōsai went on an excursion to see the elephant with his publisher. Careful observation and creative ingenuity make the elephants jump from the paper in both an extremely life-like and playful way: Kyōsai has depicted their skinfolds, scruffy hairs and given them mischievous expressions, while they use their long trunks for all kind of activities. From leisurely enjoying a smoke to eagerly downing a bottle of sake, to sumo wrestling, enacting a Noh play and we can even see a parody of the famous revenge tale ‘The Treasury of Loyal Retainers’ enacted by the elephant and the –at the same time- imported tiger. We will present this series at the PAN alongside a great variety of works of art, on which we will inform you over the next two months through our newsletter and Instagram posts. Do not want to miss anything? Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/3c3w6esr