Vintage Japanese Bizen-yaki Okimono
Happy Buddha Hotei 布袋佛
Dancing with Anpan
Signed: Toushouen 陶峰. Circa: Showa period, the 1950s’
H 9.5 in. (24cm.), W 7 in. (18cm.), D 6 in. (15cm.)
Condition: Very Good!
A spirited Bizen-yaki okimono of the Japanese Zen Buddhist Master Happy Buddha Hotei, dancing merrily on one foot, while holding an Anpan or sweet bun in hand, his expression is joyous, lively and full of radiance congregated by the alchemy of earth and fire, and from the hands of an able artist. It is noteworthy that this Bizen-yaki okimono is unglazed, its ironlike hardness and gradual colors on the silken surface are from the direct result of firing in a kiln, where 1200°C was maintained for over two weeks. It seemed that the passing of time has enhanced this statue with an unctuous ambiance; through which we attributed the okimono was made in the mid-Showa period in the 1950s’.
