---------------------
SHIHA TEAPOT SHOP
shihateapot.com

🎀Shipping Free to many countries
---------------------

Masuo Ikeda (1934–1997) was a renowned Japanese multidisciplinary artist known for his work in printmaking, painting, literature, film, ceramics, and even some metalwork. He gained international recognition in the 1960s as a printmaker, winning the Grand Prize at the Venice Biennale in 1966. Later, he became a successful novelist, receiving the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for his novel Offering to the Aegean Sea. Ikeda also directed films and explored ceramics, often combining materials like metal in his later works. His wide-ranging creativity showed a unique artistic voice across many forms.

His works often reflect a fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics. 

While traditional Japanese coaster typically embody wabi-sabi—a subtle, reserved beauty meant to complement the teacup—Ikeda’s design takes a different approach. His chataku radiates a bright, almost seductive glow, with a sharp, refined thinness that allows it to stand as an independent work of art. The design features a simple turtle motif drawn with random, abstract lines. The turtle, a traditional symbol of good fortune in Japanese crafts, is reimagined here.

This piece beautifully merges Western elegance with Eastern symbolism, perfectly reflecting Ikeda’s philosophy. It must been felt innovative at the time it was created—and it still feels new and innovative today as well.

About Our Shop