Descended from a long line of potters, Wakao Toshisada began working at his father's kiln as a young teenager. By day he assisted in his father's work, but in the...
Descended from a long line of potters, Wakao Toshisada began working at his father's kiln as a young teenager. By day he assisted in his father's work, but in the evenings Wakao developed his own personal artistic style. He found the most success in a novel form of the traditional Shino ware, in which he incorporates delicate Rimpa school-style painting on the surface. The Shino technique dates back to the 16th century in Japan. The lore surrounding the style holds that one Japanese master traveled to China, and upon his return he tried to recreate the beautiful white porcelain he had seen there. While unsuccessful in his original goal, this master instead created what we now know as Shino. Wakao has transformed the Shino tradition by coming to his work as a painter would approach a canvas, adding an uncommon, talented dynamism and sensitivity to his ceramic practice.
This plate invokes, "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," a classical Japanese monogatari from the 10th century Heian period. The tale recounts the discovery of a tiny princess inside a mysterious bamboo stalk by an old bamboo cutter:
The bamboo cutter and his wife raise her as their own daughter, naming her Nayotake-no-Kaguya-hime. With each bamboo stalk cut, they find gold nuggets inside, leading to their wealth. As Kaguya-hime grows rapidly into a woman of extraordinary beauty, she reveals her extraterrestrial origin and departure to the Moon.
This timeless tale has inspired various interpretations across mediums. Wakao Toshisada's depiction of a bamboo grove pays homage to the beginning of this tale, invoking its enduring legacy. The evocative style is in line with Wakao’s admiration for the Rinpa School of Painting, which often contained references to nature, the seasons, and motifs drawn from Japanese literature.