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Japanese bamboo basket late 19th C Meiji Ikebana Tea Ceremony Flowers - $899 (Irvine orange county)
condition:
excellent
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Morikago or low and wide fruit basket used to arrange seasonal fruit for a tea ceremony in a tea room.
Made from ‘susudake’***
The natural, rough and burly wisteria root handle at one side creates a tension against the smooth and fine weave of the bowl like bamboo basket.**
A large and impressive Japanese Mori Kato basket in the form of a shell from Kate Meiji or early 20th Century.
Morikago is a shallow open basket with handle. It was traditionally used to display fruits, sometimes flowers, during Sencha tea ceremony. In contrast to Chanoyu, Sencha ceremony uses loose green tea leaves instead of tea powder. The placement of loose fruits in the basket meant that the pattern of the bottom, which is often elaborate, was meant to be visible.
This morikago was beautifully constructed with thin bamboo and twill plaits for the base. The bottom of the basket features a double diamond pattern achieved with a variation of plover plait. The ‘handles’ are formed from twisted burly wisteria root with a rather free spirit approach.
It shows a poetic suggestion of movement, as if the bamboos were still swaying in the wind.
Excellent condition
Purchased in Kyoto in the 50s
Root handle
Shell form
Morikago
* a classic Japanese Mizuhopecten yessoensis
** the burly root represents the ‘ears’ of the shell
*** Susudake is bamboo that's been exposed to smoke and heat from the irori, or sunken hearth, of a traditional Japanese house.
The bamboo is usually over 100 years old and has a natural golden-brown color
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