“Ninsei” is passed from generation to generatio

Ninsei Nonomura was a great potter in the 17 century.

He is known as the originator of Kyo ware, which is now called Kiyomizu ware.

All of his works are called, “Ninsei”.

Some of them are designated as national treasures or important cultural properties.

His style of art has been passed down for posterity.

This is my tea bowl, and it has also incorporated his style of art. 

Such pottery is called, Ninsei-utsushi.

It is withn the reach of an average citizen like me. 

I will write about the charm of Ninsei while looking at my tea bowl as an example.

The greatest feature of Ninsei is the picturesque design of the overglaze painting.

That design is influenced by traditional Japanese design, such as Kimono or lacquer work called, Maki-e.

For example, a design that separates a color with a gold or silver line is like Yusen Shippou.

Ninsei is reminiscent of the elegant culture of the dynasty age.

Kyoto had been the capital of Japan for 1,100 years.

In other words, Ninsei is Kyoto-style pottery.

I can find a variety of traditional Japanese elegance in Ninsei.  

I feel like I understand why the design of Ninsei is still successful even now.

Let’s see my tea bowl.

Some pine trees, bamboo, and plum trees are drawn on it.

This combination is recognized as a symbol of auspiciousness in Japan.

When I saw it for the first time, it reminded me of Ninsei’s masterpiece, “Tea urn decorated with picture of plum trees in the moonlight, in overglaze enamels”.

The potter of my tea bowl must have had that tea urn in mind.

He adopted the wonderful design of Ninsei actively, but he didn’t lose his originality.

Thus, traditional Japanese culture is passed from generation to generation.