Japanese Bamboo Basket Ikebana by Tanabe Chikuunsai II

A woven bamboo flower Ikebana basket by Tanabe Chikuunsai II (1921-2000) from Showa era (1926-1989), circa 1950-1960s. The ikebana basket takes a vertical square form, the body was elegantly woven in the uroko-ami hexagonal plaiting, a signature openwork plaiting using ultra fine stripes of bamboos. It also features a finely carved bamboo handle and extensive rattan wrapping and knotting. The basket is signed on the base Chikuunsai kore o tsukuru (Chikuunsai made this). It comes with a wood tomobako storage box inscribed and signed in Kanji Kikko-sukashi-ami shihogata hanakago Tekisuikyo Chikuunsai kore o tsukuru (Hexagonal-openwork-plaited square flower basket made by Tekisuikyo Chikuunsai) and sealed Denri no in and Chikuunsai. The light airy work was generally created in the earlier period of the artist's career.
Provenance: Mizutani, Kyoto
Biography: Tanabe Chikuunsai II was the son of Tanabe Chikuunsai I and was based in Osaka and Sakai.
He was the second artist of the Tanabe dynasty to bear the name of Chikuunsai which means "Bamboo Cloud Studio"
He was famous for his Chinese-style baskets, sometimes called bunjin kago (the scholar basket).
Tanabe Chikuunsai II was among the first artists to sign their works. In 1930 he became a member of the Naniwa Ranyukai group and in 1931 he became known as the Schochikuunsai studio and was accepted the same year in the 12th Teiten, the exhibitions of Teiten, Shin-Butten and Niten In 1937. On the death of Chikuunsai I, he assumed the name of Chiukunsai II. He changed his style, leaving the karamonos baskets a bit heavy, for more open baskets such as In 1952 he received the Tokusen Prize and the Asakura at the Nitten's 8th Exhibition, and in 1959 he won the Osaka Prefecture Arts Prize, and in 1981 the Japanese government promoted him to 4th place in Zuiho.
In 1991 he transferred his studio name to his eldest son, who became Chikuunsai III and took the name of Icchikusai. Remained active as an advisor to the Nitten, Nihon Shin-kôgei Bijutsu Kyokai Association, and permanent director of the Osaka Kôgei Kyokai Association.