Vintage Japanese Mashiko Mingei Hamada School Stoneware Plate c1970 Ebi Iron Brush 11"W

Japanese Mashiko-yaki (益子焼) mingei stoneware plate, Shino-style ash-white glaze with bold iron-oxide ebi lobster brushwork, Showa period

Japan; Showa period, mid-to-late 20th century

A Mashiko-yaki (益子焼) stoneware plate carrying one of the most energetic brushwork compositions in this group: a large ebi (海老, lobster) rendered in sweeping iron-oxide strokes across the ash-white glazed well, the creature's body, antennae, and legs painted with the kind of rapid, committed brushwork that cannot be corrected once the brush touches the unfired clay. The iron pigment bleeds and halos into the ash glaze in the firing, softening the edges of each stroke and giving the image the atmospheric depth of ink-on-paper work at a scale and in a medium that is entirely ceramic. The reverse is plain with the characteristic sandy Mashiko clay body and a wide foot ring.

The ebi motif carries deep roots in Japanese decorative art — associated with longevity and good fortune through the analogy of the lobster's bent form with the posture of an elder — and its treatment here in the direct, undecorated manner of mingei (民芸) folk craft strips away any ceremonial weight, leaving only the pleasure of the image itself. This is Mashiko ware in the tradition shaped by Hamada Shōji (濱田庄司): the subject is familiar, the execution is free, and the result is fully alive.

• Form: Mashiko-yaki stoneware plate, broad well, wide foot ring
• Glaze: Shino-style ash-white with iron-oxide ebi shrimp brushwork
• Mark: None visible
• Period: Showa, mid-to-late 20th century
• Dimensions: 11″W (27.9 cm)
• Condition: Surface wear consistent with age and use; glaze sound; no chips or cracks noted. Please see photos for details.