A bamboo tea scoop in the style of Meiji-era artist Katsumin Umino, depicting Hanshan and Shide.

Bamboo tea scoop in the style of Hanshan and Shide, painted by Katsumin Umino during the Meiji period.

This bamboo-carved tea scoop is made based on the brushstrokes of Katsumin Unno's painting "Hanshan and Shide." Katsumin Unno was a court craftsman during the Meiji period of Japan, and taught at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. He was highly accomplished in both carving and painting, and is considered one of the true masters of modern Japan. This tea scoop is a reinterpretation of his famous painting, capturing its essence and complemented by poetry, making it a rare and elegant item for tea ceremonies.

Katsumin Umino (1844-1915) was a gold engraving artist and professor at the Tokyo Art School during the Meiji period. At the age of nine, he began learning gold engraving techniques from his uncle, Yoshimori Umino, a master sword engraver, laying a solid foundation in metal carving. He later entered the Tokyo Art School (the predecessor of Tokyo University of the Arts) to study gold engraving under the renowned master Natsuo Kano. Benefiting from the artistic influence of the Tokyo Art School, Umino became a master gold engraver of the Meiji period, creating outstanding gold art works worthy of being passed down through generations. His representative works, "Returning to the Castle" and "Prince of Lanling," are national treasures housed in art museums.