DescriptionAn antique Japanese ikebana (flower) basket by Yokota Hōsai (1899–1975). Made of thin split bamboo woven in a horizontal pattern. Unusual in form, the basket is made to look as if the shoulders are collapsing inward while the mouth remains upright – a whimsical visual effect giving it a pushed-in look. The handle is made of a thicker section of bamboo that has been twisted. The bottom is signed by the artist: 峰斎作 “Made by Hōsai” / “Work of Hōsai”Another basket by Hōsai resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. From the Met: “Yokota Hōsai, born in Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, began showing his bamboo pieces at Ministry of Commerce and Industry Exhibitions in the 1930s. In 1955 he became one of the seventeen founding members of the Japan Bamboo Artists Association, along with Kosuge Shōchikudo and Iizuka Shōkansai. From 1960 to 1974, he regularly participated in the Japanese Traditional Art Crafts exhibitions.”Age: Showa period (Mid-Century)Dimensions: 13″ high x 8 1/2″ wide
