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Tatsuzo Shimaoka: Flowers and Rhythm on a Square Vase
Updated: Oct 28
A square body with a rounded ending
A short round neck rises from the broad, flat shoulder of this square vase. Below it, pale sides carry small red, green and yellow floral motifs within quieter oval fields. Fine diagonal marks run around these coloured passages. Our handling record identifies the work as 象嵌赤絵草花文方壺, a vase by Tatsuzo Shimaoka.
Its appeal lies in several contrasts held in balance. The body has firm corners and broad faces; the neck is curved and softly flared. A dark brown line makes the shoulder and vertical edges especially clear. Against that steady structure, the small coloured motifs feel lively. The vase is easy to grasp as an overall shape, but it becomes more interesting with closer attention.
Texture makes room for colour
The fine diagonal pattern changes direction repeatedly, suggesting a herringbone rhythm. Within it, pale oval areas hold the floral motifs. These small windows let red outlines and green and yellow details stand apart from the surrounding activity. The eye moves between two kinds of decoration: a closely repeated ground and more open, individual shapes.
That arrangement gives the work much of its charm. The coloured passages are modest in size, yet they remain clear because the textured field pauses around them. Some motifs are fuller clusters; others are smaller sprigs. Their differences keep the repetition lively without overwhelming the upright rectangular form.
An invitation to look around the corners
The view across two faces shows how the pattern belongs to a three-dimensional object. Each face offers another arrangement of small coloured forms, while the corner makes a strong division between them. Above, the shoulder provides a broader, quieter surface before the round neck rises. This shift from decorated sides to open shoulder gives the whole composition room to breathe.
Tatsuzo Shimaoka and patterned surfaces
The Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum explains Shimaoka’s wider use of cord impressions filled with slip, a method known as Jomon zogan. Its account also describes his combination of different decorative approaches. That background makes the relationship between small repeated marks and separate motifs especially rewarding to examine. Here, the visible strength is the way texture, colour and the square vessel support one another, rather than asking any single detail to dominate.
Look again: compare a coloured oval with the patterned area beside it. How does the change in texture make the small motif easier to see?
A work we have handled, shown for reference.
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