Hasui is regarded as the foremost landscape print artist of the 20th century. He was renown for his scenes of everyday life, which he executed in a sophisticated yet simple manner. His work is distinguished by his fascination with light, climactic conditions and tranquility. Based on sketches he made during his travels through Japan, Hasui’s prints are characterized by their serenity of mood and flawless composition. He was the first woodblock print artist to be honored by the Japanese government with the prestigious title of “Living National Treasure.” Hasui’s work is in the permanent collections of the leading museums of the world. Most of his works were produced for the initiator of the Shin Hanga movement, Watanabe Shozaaburo. Landscape prints from the Shin Hanga movement were extremely popular and highly prized among collectors in Europe and America.

Pieces of this type and age are attributed to the productions of the Ryumonji kilns; however, this type of glaze was also used on Soma Obori and Shigaraki wares. Ko Satsuma production included articles for use in the tea ceremony. Such articles were generally small in size. There were many varieties of Ko Satsuma which would not be accepted as “refined” by Western standards. However, to the connoisseur of Japanese ceramics, such wares are highly prized and sought after. This pot was made for domestic use and not for export. A nearly identical tea pot is illustrated in Figure 243, page 139, “Treasury of Satsuma” by Sandra Andacht.

In the center of the main room of traditional houses of the Edo and Meiji periods stood an open hearth in which a small charcoal fire was kept burning. Above the fire was a suspension device called a jizai (self-adjuster) from which an iron kettle could be hung and raised or lowered as necessary. A large wooden pothook hanger (jizai-gake) was suspended by a heavy rope from the high roof beams. The other end of this rope was attached to the adjuster (yokogi: crosspiece) through which the rope passed just above the iron hook. The weight of a pot on the iron hook pulled down on the rope and jammed it tight inside its hole through the crosspiece. Moving the yokogi to a horizontal position released this tension and permitted the kettle to be raised or lowered.

Wooden crosspieces were usually carved in fanciful forms having auspicious and protective symbolism. A yokogi in the form of a carp (koi) was meant to inspire and instill courage and perseverance in the male children of the family and thus help to bring about success in their subsequent careers. Carp, like salmon, swim upstream to spawn, struggling bravely to overcome barriers such as rapids and waterfalls. In addition to the symbolism of the carp, fish-shaped yokogi in general symbolized the presence of water and were thought to magically prevent the fire in the hearth from starting a conflagration and destroying the house.