Antique Japanese Bamboo Morikago Basket with Chikon Handle Meiji Period

A Japanese woven bamboo basket with handle circa late 19th century of the end of Meiji period. The basket was constructed in the form of a morikago. a shallow and open basket with handle. Traditionally, a morikago was used to display fruits, and also flowers during Sencha tea ceremony, which in contrast to Chanoyu, uses loose green tea leaves instead of tea powder. Because the body is short, a morikago basket tends to have a bespoken handle and a finished eye-pleasing pattern on the bottom that was meant to be visible through the display of fruits or flowers.
The basket on offer here has a wonderful and attractive presence. The body was woven in tight Twill plaiting with arrows in opposite directions. Uniquely, the handle of the basket was fashioned from large sections of rhizome, the root of bamboo, known as Chikon in Japanese. The root displays natural irregular form with nodes in short secessions. The handle was constructed carefully with a sculptural emphasis on the form, appreciable from different angles. The root was also used to line the outer circumference of the rim, not for structural purpose but for an aesthetic coherence. The bottom of the basket features a wonderful lining of wider bamboo stripes supplemented with lozenge plaiting. The same pattern is visible on the base as well.
The basket displays a lovely warm patina, both from the natural color and texture variation of the Chikon handles as well as the partial use of the sooted bamboo (Susutake) in mostly the transitional sections such as the surrounding area of the base.
The work is not signed, but its harmonious construction and meticulous use of material and techniques show off a high level of artistry.
This item is located at Tishu Atlanta.