Vase Base (small)
This Vase Base is made of a combination of quince, red sandalwood, rosewood, and ebony (in general order of lighter to darker colours). All materials that are necessary for koto -stringed Japanese musical instrument- making.
¥13,000
In stock
Additional information
| Weight | 400 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 14 × 13.5 × 1.6 cm |
| Material | Red Sandalwood, Ebony, Rosewood, Quince |
| Maker | Takeshi Yoshizawa |
| Material | Wood |
Full Product Details
Koto is a stringed musical instrument: it is said to have been imported from China over a thousand years ago. Similar instruments can be seen all over Asia, and the Japanese koto usually has 13 strings, with adjustable bridges which enable the player to manipulate the frequencies, resulting in a much wider range of tones than only 13 notes.
The main body is paulownia wood, delivered from Aizu, Fukushima. It’s soft and light, allowing the sound to travel far while amplifying itself. The thicker, more dense woods are used to fasten and decorate the main body; such as red sandalwood, rosewood, quince, and ebony. They used to be imported from South East Asia and are now hard to get hold of since the Washington Treaty.
Takeshi Yoshizawa, who has been crafting koto since he was 16, started making small objects out of these rare and necessary materials. We could call it a way of upcycling.
This Vase Base is one such product, but utilising larger parts of these rare woods. It’s a combination of quince, red sandalwood, rosewood, and ebony (in general order of lighter to darker colours).
You can tell it’s a work of hand in the not-100% squarely finish, and that is where we humans seem to find comfort.
I marvel at the lines of grains, incorporating the subtle nuances of colours, and see the universe in them.
