Bidspirit auction | Ryubundo Tetsubin (Kettle) by Okuni

Ryubundo Tetsubin (Kettle) by Okuni Toshiro - Ryubundo Tetsubin (Kettle) by Okuni Toshiro Japan, Meiji period. Design: Okuni Toshiro (1856-1934). Iron/Bronze. H. without handle approx. 14 cm, with handle approx. 20 cm. Weight: 1.48 kg. Seal engraved on the body, signed on the lid. Condition: Signs of age and use; some pronounced rust marks inside. - Provenance: From a German private collection. Ryubundo is a historic workshop in Kyoto, famous for its hand-cast iron kettles, crafted with extremely fine sand mold techniques and elegant, classic designs. Their water vessels are particularly valuable due to their precise craftsmanship, harmonious forms, and the tradition of Meiji-era master artists whose skills can no longer be reproduced today, so each piece has the character of a small sculpture rather than a simple vessel. Okuni Toshiro is one of the four great masters of Ryubundo (alongside Hatano Shohei and Hata Zoroku). His iron kettles are considered masterpieces because his craftsmanship, exceptional artistic quality, and the great rarity of his works are at a level that even modern artisans can hardly achieve; he used extremely detailed motifs such as Chinese poems, crabs, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, or birds, and crafted each piece entirely by hand during the Meiji and Taisho periods, which is why only a few examples in perfect condition survive, and he is among the most sought-after masters within the Ryubundo tradition.