Komekyu Klin Kutani Ware Hand-Painted Lidded Box

Kutani Ware ・ Akae Fine-Line Painting ・ Ishikawa, Japan

A hand-painted Kutani ware lidded box

This lidded box, known as a bonbonniere, is painted by Kazuhiko Komekyu, a Kutani ware akae artist who has worked at his craft for more than thirty years. It is covered, edge to edge, in an arabesque drawn in vivid colors with fine, precise lines. Traditionally a vessel for sweets, it is just as at home on a dresser or desk, holding jewelry, keepsakes, or the small things you want to keep close. It is a work of art made to be used every day, not only displayed.

"I want to make the very best I am capable of in this moment — and I feel I must keep making. With that in mind, I considered the form, every single line, and every single dot as I painted this piece."
— Kazuhiko Komekyu, Kutani ware akae artist

His work is available online only through By Emotion International.

Akae: a rare style of Kutani ware painting

Kutani ware is a porcelain tradition from Ishikawa Prefecture on Japan's Sea of Japan coast, known for its bold overglaze painting. Its history reaches back to the early Edo period in the 17th century. Akae — meaning "red painting" — is a comparatively recent branch of that tradition, emerging in the late Edo period and defined by intricate fine-line work in red and gold.

At its height in the Meiji era (1868–1912), akae employed some two to three hundred painters. Today, fewer than twenty remain.

Original pigments, ground fresh each day

Asked what his work demands, Komekyu names two things: mental focus, and the stamina to stay seated for hours. His state of mind shows in every brushstroke, and his pigment never comes out quite the same as the day before. As a result, no two pieces are ever alike.

Every piece is painted entirely by hand

The pigments are his own. His red is made from bengara, a natural red iron oxide, blended with iron rust and a glass component that gives the finished color its sheen.

The red pigment is ground by hand every day

Brushes broken in over years

A new brush cannot draw these patterns. Komekyu first uses each brush for about three years on underdrawing. Once the natural oils have left the bristles, he trims them back with scissors, leaving only the fine core. Cared for this way, a single brush can serve for ten to fifteen years.

Brushes, each trimmed to a subtly different fineness

Kazuhiko Komekyu, Kutani ware akae artist

Born in 1968 in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture (formerly the town of Neagari), Kazuhiko Komekyu studied oil painting at Kanazawa College of Art and completed the specialist course at the Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Ware Technical Training Institute. In 1996, he founded his own studio, Komekyu Kiln (Komekyu-gama).

Since 2001, he has held solo exhibitions at department stores and galleries across Japan. In 2010 and 2011, he took part in the table coordination for an exhibition of seasonal flowers and tableware at Mai, The Westin Tokyo, and he has also exhibited at the autumn event of the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens in Ueno, Tokyo.

meet the artisans

Kazuhiko Komekyu

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