{"product_id":"kutani-crane-vase","title":"Kutani Crane Vase 22cm | Cloud Sea Unkai Design | Kutani Kayō Kiln","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hand-painted Kutani-ware art vase from the \u003cstrong\u003eKutani Kayō (九谷華窯)\u003c\/strong\u003e kiln in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, decorated with the painter \u003cstrong\u003eKutani Sōdō (九谷草堂)\u003c\/strong\u003e's signature \u003cstrong\u003e\"Cloud Sea Cranes\" (雲海鶴 \/ Unkai-Tsuru)\u003c\/strong\u003e motif. Five white-silhouette cranes glide through a vast 雲海 (Unkai — \"sea of clouds\") that wraps the spherical body in soft gold, teal, and deep cobalt. Presented in a paulownia-style kiribako wooden gift box, with a carved black-lacquered display stand included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuick facts\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eMaker\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKutani Kayō (九谷華窯) kiln — contemporary Kutani-ware workshop, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePainter signature\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKutani Sōdō (九谷草堂)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDesign\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUnkai-Tsuru \/ 雲海鶴 — \"Cloud Sea Cranes\"\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eMaterial\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWhite Kutani porcelain with gin-sai (銀彩) silver-overglaze airbrush + stencil-resist white-silhouette cranes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eForm\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e7号 \/ 7-go globular flower vase (玉花瓶 \/ tama-kabin)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDimensions\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e22 cm diameter × 19.5 cm height (~8.7\" × 7.7\") — approximate\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eOrigin\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in Japan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eIncludes\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eVase + carved black-lacquered display stand + kiribako wooden gift box\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eCertification\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKutani-yaki (九谷焼) Registered Trademark, Kutani Pottery Trade Association\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat \"Unkai\" means\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e雲海 (Unkai — \"Sea of Clouds\") is a famous Japanese natural phenomenon: at certain mountain peaks on cool morning conditions, the valleys below fill with cumulus cloud banks. From the summit you look down on what appears to be a vast white sea, with neighbouring mountains poking through like islands. The 雲海鶴 design inverts the geography — the cranes fly above the cloud-sea at an even higher altitude, the cobalt depths beneath suggesting the morning sky that lies under the cloud layer. Cranes (鶴) carry the meaning of 1,000-year longevity in Japan; here they ascend into the realm of the eternal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat's hand-painted on this vase\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGlobular \/ spherical \"tama-kabin\" form (玉花瓶) with rounded shoulders + narrow lip\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo vestigial shoulder \"ear\" knobs (耳付 \/ mimi-tsuki) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGin-sai (銀彩) pearlescent silver-overglaze base — iridescent metallic layer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWarm gold \/ cream \/ yellow upper-zone airbrush gradient — \"morning sky\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoft teal \/ celadon \/ pale-green mid-zone equator band\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeep cobalt blue \/ indigo lower-zone airbrush — \"depths beneath the cloud-sea\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFive hand-stencilled white-silhouette cranes in flight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoft gold-leaf underwing accent on each crane\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUndulating \"cloud sea\" (雲海) cumulus-band cloud forms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoft pink \/ peach asayake (朝焼け \/ morning-glow) tint in one cloud band\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeep teal interior glaze visible at the rim opening\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeep teal recessed foot-ring base with white porcelain border\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRed square Kutani Sōdō (九谷草堂) painter's seal stamp at foot centre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCarved black-lacquered wooden display stand (花台 \/ kadai) included\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Kutani ware\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKutani ware (九谷焼) is one of Japan's most decorated porcelain traditions, founded in the 1650s in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture along the Hokuriku coast. Classical Kutani is famous for its Five Colours (Ku-tani Goshu — green, yellow, red, purple, navy blue) hand-painted enamel work. Contemporary Kutani — including the Kutani Kayō kiln responsible for this vase — extends the tradition with new techniques: gin-sai (銀彩) silver-overglaze airbrush, stencil-resist silhouette work, and atmospheric-gradient mineral-pigment painting. The kiribako lid bears the official 九谷焼 (Kutani-yaki) seal of the Kutani Pottery Trade Association.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUse cases\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplay centrepiece on console, mantel, foyer side-table, or low altar shelf\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes carved black-lacquered wooden display stand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSingle tall stem or small kenzan-pinned ikebana — choose soft stems\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe metallic gin-sai glaze shifts with light through the day\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFAQ\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does Unkai-Tsuru mean?\u003c\/strong\u003e 雲海鶴 — \"Cloud Sea Cranes.\" Cranes fly above the famous Japanese \"sea of clouds\" mountain phenomenon — a celestial-ascension scene.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is the painter?\u003c\/strong\u003e 九谷草堂 (Kutani Sōdō) — the painter alias signed on the kiribako lid and stamped on the vase's foot ring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat kiln?\u003c\/strong\u003e 九谷華窯 (Kutani Kayō — \"Kutani Flower Kiln\") — a contemporary Kutani-ware workshop in Ishikawa Prefecture, certified under the Kutani-yaki Registered Trademark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the display stand included?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes — a carved black-lacquered wooden 花台 (kadai) base ships with the vase.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout ZenKiln\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZenKiln is a Japan-based curator connecting international collectors with Japan's artisan ceramic tradition. We work closely with the kilns, workshops, and makers featured in our shop — each one disclosed in our About section — and hand-pack every piece in Japan for safe delivery worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ZenKiln","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487588663526,"sku":null,"price":237.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5392\/5350\/files\/il_fullxfull.7538986378_ogxh.jpg?v=1774622244","url":"https:\/\/zen-kiln.com\/en-eu\/products\/kutani-crane-vase","provider":"ZenKiln","version":"1.0","type":"link"}