Brass “Saki Mizusashi” (Fresh-Water Jar)

Dimensions: R 17 cm × H 20 cm

Artist: Kanaya Gorōsaburō XV (Japan, b. 1940)

Kanaya Gorōsaburō, the fifteenth-generation master of the Kanaya family metalworking tradition, was born in Kyoto in 1940. He apprenticed with metal artist Tanaka Hideaki in 1958 and studied casting and metal carving under his father, the thirteenth-generation head.

His work was first selected for the Kyoto Exhibition in 1962 and later for the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) beginning in 1967. From 1975 onward he exhibited in major contemporary metal art shows, receiving numerous honors, including invitations to the 1984 Asahi Modern Craft Exhibition and the 1986 Kyoto Prefectural Selection at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art. He succeeded to the title of Fifteenth Generation in 2005 and is a member of the Kyoto Association of Crafts Artists as well as a designated Master of Traditional Industries by the City of Kyoto.

The Kanaya family lineage, renowned worldwide for exceptional metal artistry, dates back to the Kan’ei era (1624–1645). Their unique coloring techniques in scarlet copper (hi-dō) and rich brass have long been prized by Japan’s upper classes, and their works are recognized by the tea ceremony community as designated ceremonial utensils.