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

Japanese Mashiko-yaki (益子焼) mingei stoneware plate, Shino-style ash-white glaze with iron-oxide and black iris botanical brushwork, Showa period

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

A Mashiko-yaki (益子焼) stoneware plate with a loosely composed botanical scene in iron-oxide and black iron brushwork on an ash-white glazed ground: iris or reed stems rise from the lower field in warm brown, the flower head rendered in a few decisive black strokes that read with the immediacy of a calligraphic mark. The composition occupies roughly two-thirds of the well, leaving the remaining surface as open glaze — a deliberate asymmetry consistent with the mingei (民芸) aesthetic of balanced incompleteness that finds its roots in the Japanese appreciation for ma (間), the meaningful use of empty space. The reverse shows the natural Mashiko clay body with a wide foot ring and scattered iron spotting from the kiln atmosphere.

The iris (菖蒲, ayame or kakitsubata) is among the most painted subjects in the Japanese decorative tradition, carrying associations with early summer, clarity, and the refinement of the natural world — but its treatment here is entirely in the mingei spirit: the image is direct, the brushwork unhesitating, and the beauty lies in the gesture rather than the finish. Hamada Shōji's (濱田庄司) influence on Mashiko's botanical brushwork tradition is clearly legible in compositions of this type.

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