This May 2013 issue (No. 538) of Chiisana Tsubomi (小さな蕾) comes from the long-running Japanese magazine devoted to antique art, ceramics, traditional crafts, museum collections, and cultural heritage. Richly illustrated and written with the collector in mind, the magazine offers an excellent reference for anyone interested in Japanese and wider East Asian decorative arts.
The principal feature of this issue is 「珠玉の李朝陶磁」 (Treasured Ceramics of the Joseon Dynasty), introducing outstanding Korean ceramics through a visit to the Museum of Korean Embroidery (高麗美術館) in Kyoto. Founded around a remarkable collection of Korean art, the museum preserves works reflecting the sophisticated artistic culture of the Korean peninsula, with Joseon ceramics particularly admired for their restrained forms, expressive decoration, and quietly elegant character.
The cover presents a magnificent blue-and-white porcelain jar decorated with a dynamic dragon, an impressive example of the visual language associated with Korean ceramic art and an especially striking subject for collectors of East Asian porcelain.
The issue also includes 「古代ガラスの最前線から II」, continuing a feature on the fascinating world of ancient glass in connection with a spring exhibition at the MIHO MUSEUM. Another article, 「幻の磁器窯」, explores a little-known porcelain kiln associated with Fujisawa in Takayama Village, Shinshū, broadening the issue's focus from celebrated museum pieces to lesser-known histories of ceramic production.
