This item is carved in wood and shaped as a bucket. The frogs and the snails are both carved out of the same piece of wood. It looks very good not only with fresh green leaves, but also with leaves that are changing color and with fruits.
A basket goes along well with a vine. The white flower is a Hydrangea, which tells us that the season is early summer.
To celebrate the Year of the Rat, we displayed a scroll by Rosetsu and a fingered citron in a negoro bucket. Negoro wares are covered in red lacquer that gradually wears away with use, revealing the black lacquer underneath. I particularly like the fact that the Rat on the scroll is drawn with its back to the viewer.
We arranged an unryūbai (a Japanese apricot tree) and a pine branch in a Jōmon pot with legs. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were not many people to see our arrangement. On the scroll there are two lines from the Ōjōmu Sutra.
Each time the tax accountant is coming to our shop, we arrange more flowers and branches than usual. He never gave us a discount, so maybe we should give up on doing this?!
This year, we arranged willow, pin and camellia branches in a big size tokoname- ware jar. We were thinking to place it inside the shop, but we ended up leaving it like this. The scroll says “一富士、二鷹、三なすび” (Fuji-san first, hawk second, eggplant third), a good topic referring to the first dream of the year.
In a small echizen- ware jar from Kamakura period (1185-1333), we arranged many small flowers.
A basket goes along well with a vine, indeed.
To celebrate the Year of the Rooster, we arranged many flowers and branches, such as pin, Christmas berry and kale. The scroll is a bird by Itō Jakuchū (already sold). The jar is a tokoname ware from Heian period (794-1185).
We arranged a branch with leaves just turning red. This jar, at work in our shop during the visit of the tax accountant, is a solid member of our team, going well with anything.
In Japan, omochi (rice cake) and tangerines are displayed to celebrate the New Year (there are various ways to make the New Year’s arrangement, but omochi and tangerines are an absolutely necessary item). The cat is usually sleeping on top of the chest, but she kindly gave up her place to the omochi, just for the holidays.