Large Antique Japanese Smoked Bamboo Basket Ikebana Mingei

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A large Japanese ikebana bamboo basket with tall handle from an unknown artist circa late Meiji Period (1868-1912). The basket … Read more A large Japanese ikebana bamboo basket with tall handle from an unknown artist circa late Meiji Period (1868-1912). The basket was hand-woven in a robust form, exemplifying a distinctive Mingei (folk art) style. The baluster form body has an organic form and features two slightly concaved sides. Constructed with irregular plaiting using sooted bamboo (susutake), bundles of stripes placed on a sagittal section, large chunks of bamboo culms as well wisteria vines were all incorporated into the weaving, forming an exterior that reflects the free spirit of the Mingei art. Spontaneous, rustic and robust, the aesthetic with almost a "brutalist" appeal is unique in Japanese art. This technique was later extensively interpreted and enhanced by contemporary bamboo master such as Yufu Shohaku (1941-). The "sooted" bamboo used for this basket was collected from the kitchen of the traditional thatched-roof houses that had been exposed to decades of smoke from the hearth or cooking fire. As a result, the basket displays a rich smoke-stained patina that had been naturally accumulated over a long time.
The upright handle was covered in tight ribbon weave and reinforced with intervals of bundled ropes that extend around the rim as well. This is a distinct and unusual feature not commonly seen in Japanese basketry. The combinational use of all the distinctive materials to create a cohesive piece demonstrates a formidable skill from the hands of a master weaver. They created an interesting array of contrasts, not only in material forms, but also in texture and color. See less