Mid to late 20th century, ash glazed stoneware, square shaped bottle with autumn grasses decoration in diamond shaped cartouches to each side, bottle mouth, unglazed foot rim.

6 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.

Private Collection, Charlotte, North Carolina

Tatsuzo Shimaoka lived and worked in Mashiko, a town in Japan renowned for its pottery traditions. Originally, Shimaoka studied pottery at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and then served as an apprentice under the revered pottery artist Shoji Hamada (1894-1978). In 1953, he established his own kiln and complex in Mashiko and worked along with the Tochigi Prefecture Ceramic Research Center to develop more innovative and distinctive style techniques, like his signature rope inlay decoration. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Shimaoka traveled the world showcasing his ceramics and receiving many awards for his distinguished work and contributions to traditional Japanese folk art. He was given the great honor of being named a Japanese Living National Treasure in 1996.

Good estate condition; signed box lacking; with paper label identifying the bottle from being purchased from Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in May of 2001.