In Japan, when prized ceramics, especially those associated with chanoyu (the tea ceremony), were broken or damaged, they would be mended using lacquer that was often further embellished with gold or silver. Such repairs can have inherent artistic value, while imparting prestige to a vessel and its owner.
Amusing, amazing and adorable stands this flat dish in front of you. It is self-assured like somebody who is proud of his scars, showing the souvenirs of his turbulent biography, enjoying a satisfying rest. - This dish is eccentrically perfect by defect.
Flat Dish
Mishima* Karatsu
18th century
Diam. 14.7 cm (5 3/4 in.)
Height 3.8 cm (1 1/2 in.)
Wooden box
*Mishima ware - A category of ceramics with inlay designs that were originally produced in Korea. "It is generally believed that it acquired the name Mishima from people involved in chanoyu in Japan, because the designs suggested the calendars produced by Mishima Shrine in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture." (Chanoyu Vocabulary. Practical Terms for the Way of Tea, p. 141)
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