This August 2014 issue (No. 553) of Chiisana Tsubomi (小さな蕾) is part of the long-running Japanese magazine devoted to antique art, ceramics, traditional crafts, museum collections, and connoisseurship. Richly illustrated and written for collectors, it offers a fascinating window into Japan’s appreciation and study of historic objects.
The principal feature, 「私の好きな骨董」 (Watashi no Sukina Kottō – “My Favourite Antiques”), visits the collection of the noted connoisseur Mende (面手), presenting personally selected antique objects and exploring the individual pleasure of living with and collecting kottō—Japanese antiques.
Another feature examines Ko-Imari-type ceramics and Nabeshima (古伊万里類とは異質の鍋島) through dated inscriptions and records found on storage boxes (hakogaki), offering useful material for enthusiasts of historic Japanese porcelain.
The issue also explores the origins of Ryūsen celadon (龍泉青磁 / Longquan celadon), one of the most celebrated traditions of Chinese ceramics and an important influence on Japanese collecting and tea culture.
The charming cover presents several rustic antique dishes decorated with freely brushed motifs, beautifully expressing the intimate, imperfect character that makes everyday historic ceramics so appealing to collectors.
