Untitled

Hayakawa Shōkosai I 初代早川尚古斎

1891 · Bamboo · Asian Art

This bamboo scoop was used to transfer the appropriate amount of sencha tea from a larger jar to the small ceramic teapot. The work is signed by Hayakawa Shōkosai I and, as noted in the inscription, was executed when the artist was seventy-six. Whereas most tea scoops have a simple, half-cylinder shape, Shōkosai playfully converted this one into a small “sculpture” representing a cicada, associated with immortality and rebirth.

Artist

Hayakawa Shōkosai I 初代早川尚古斎

Date

1891

Medium

Bamboo

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Diane and Arthur Abbey Gift, 2022