Posted 3 years ago
kwqd
(1186 items)
This copper incense burner by Sotaro Saegusa is about 4.5" in diameter x 5" high, including the lid. The incense burner is not marked but comes with the original tomobako. It appears to be unused. The tomobako has some bleaching stains on the lid which slightly impinges on the maker's stamp but does not obscure it. The original ribbon is also included, but there is no cloth or documentation. The lid has a design on the outside and is titled, signed and stamped inside.
The flower is perhaps Forsythia which in Japan symbolizes "anticipation and the arrival of spring"...
Of all of my SS pieces, this is the only one that I can prove is solely by his hand, a masterwork, and not something made by workers in his studio. Since so little is available about the day to day operations of his studio during his lifetime and after his death, I have a lot of unanswered questions about the attribution of the many works for sale and attributed to his hand. This piece was not very expensive so I was happy to add a piece proved to be by his hand to my collection. It is also a plus that it is not cast iron, SS's most commonly used metal.
Nice piece...I like the shape
Thanks! It is actually pretty large for an incense burner, I think..
Nice copper incense burner and excellent photography!!
Thanks, jscott0363!
OMG Kevin!
A stunner. His work is so beautiful and with the tomobako it is a great find.
Thanks, Karen! I was happy to find this. It is well done.
Thanks vcal, fortapache, Karen, Kevin, Cisum, jscott0363 and dav2no1!
Gorgeous piece, amazing how it sticks to ones mind and the piece has the perfect amount of precision !~
Thanks PhilDMorris! I agree, great design.
Thanks for loving my Sotaro Saegusa copper incense burner Alfie21, Watchsearcher, PhilDMorris, Jenni, Drake47 and mcheconi!
That is so lovely! What a breathtaking piece of work, so graceful and perfect. IMO that's a real find.
About the symbolism, its overall shape is that of a flaming wish-fulfilling jewel or hoju / houju -- you can read about it here:
https://kansaiculture.blogspot.com/2017/04/wish-fulfilling-jewels-of-japan-houju.html
The pattern on the exterior *might* be based on kamon, but I am not sure. If so, it looks like a variation on hanabishi (mokko) and shippo -- abstract floral. I can see the resemblance to forsythia, and that symbolism is lovely and perfect for this piece.
Tell me, are you thinking of burning some incense in it? I imagine it'd be lovely in use, especially with the lid on and smoke escaping from the holes (which would make it resemble a flaming jewel even more!).
Thanks for your comments and the link, rhineisfine! That is some very interesting reading. I wish that more information about SS and his creative inspirations was available. Some are easy to see since so much of his work deals with animals in the Japanese zodiac. The majority of his work that I see is, like this incense burner, inspired by classic themes. I wonder if he was religious or just following traditional designs? I am hopeful that somewhere there is an informative biography about him and his work.
I am torn as to whether or not I will use this incense burner since it appears to be unused. I suppose that it could be used gently a few times without impacting its condition. However, I do not have a sense of smell, so it would be a visual experience for me. Not sure that would be worth the risk of degrading the condition of the piece!
Here's a long shot, possibly... I don't know if this is the same SAEGUSA Soutarou, but this artist has the same name (or at least, the family name Saegusa + one of the many variant spellings of Soutarou), and he does create incense burners:
https://www.facebook.com/so.saegusa/
Mind you, these are chunky pieces, not as refined as yours, and mostly figural (owls & such), so I have some doubt!
And I'm so sorry, I'd forgotten about your inability to smell (now that you mention it, I think it came up when we talked about green tea) -- so yes, it probably makes more sense to enjoy your burner visually! Good thing it's such an elegant and pleasing piece. It's sufficient just to drink it in with your eyes :)
Thanks for the link. My artist Was born in 1911 died in 2006. There are a couple of skeletal biographies of him online, probably taken from documentation which accompanied his work. He was active for a very long time.
Sotaro Saegusa (1911-2006) was born in Aji-cho, Kida-gun, Kagawa Prefecture
A graduate of the Metallic Engineering Department of Kagawa Prefectural Technical School in 1930 and the Sculpture School of Tokyo School of Fine Arts, Saegusa. Later he worked as a professor at the Nagoya University of Arts until he retired in 1986. Saegusa is a member of the Japan Artists ‘Association, Japan Sculptors’ Association and Shin Kozo Exhibition Paintings Division. Saegusas enthusiasm for the arts continues after his retirement. His bronze works display a variety of themes and postures, reflecting traditional Japanese culture with injection of abstract elements.
His works are highly revered for their artistic beauty. After his retirement, Saegusa focused on sculptures of animals including lunar animals.
Saegusa has won a number of prestigious awards. In 1941, his works were selected for the 8th Shin Kozo Exhibition Western Painting Division and the 15th Imperial Exhibition Sculpture Division and he has been invited to take part in the exhibition every year since. He was presented the Chunichi Award in the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition at Nagoya in 1958, at an award in the Nagoya Japanese Art Exhibition in 1987, the Tokyo Governor’s Award in the 65th Shin Kozo Exhibition Sculpture Division for his work “Iku” in 1993, and the Minister of Education Encouragement Award, the 71st Shin Kozo Exhibition Sculpture Division for Still Life in 1999.
Thanks for loving my Saegusa copper incense burner rhineisfine!
@kwdq, thanks for posting the bio of the artist! That's really interesting. If I do stumble across anything of his, I will be sure to let you know. Good luck in the meantime in tracking down more info about him.