加藤藤昇斎造　花車形花籃|Basket in the Form of a Flower Cart (Hanaguruma-gata hanakago)

Katō Tōshōsai

ca. 1920–30s · Timber bamboo, rattan, and lacquer · Asian Art

Among Katō Tōshōsai’s more surprising constructions is this flower cart worked in tight plaiting. It recalls depictions of such carts in Edo-period paintings, where they are often shown carrying large ikebana baskets filled with flowers. A lesser-known bamboo artisan of the Kansai region, he maintained a workshop in Tsu City, the capital of Mie Prefecture. Although we know little about his life, his Chinese-style works are of the highest quality, including a basket previously owned by the Imperial Household and now in the collection of the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Tokyo.

Artist

Katō Tōshōsai

Date

ca. 1920–30s

Medium

Timber bamboo, rattan, and lacquer

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Diane Abbey, 2019