So, I promised an individual post on the 3 generations of the Tsukinowa line of bonsai potters, and we’ll start with the most recent.
Tsukinowa Shousen was born in 1960. He truly embodies the spirit and skill of his Grandfather, Tsukinowa Yusen, perhaps the greatest painter of bonsai pottery. He has the same attention to detail, and marvelous brushwork of his grandfather, yet uses the different firing techniques of his father, Tsukinowa Shunseki, which are better than those of Yusen, resulting in less kiln flaws and warpage.
Because of the extremely high value and relative scarcity of Yusen pots, many forgeries exist. The only ones I’ve seen are pretty clear, it’s much more difficult to imitate Yusen’s extremely skillful painting than, say, a glaze color or a clay type, as in some very well done forgeries of Tofukuji and Heian Kouzan. Because of the forgeries of his grandfathers work, all Shousens come with a numbered certificate of authenticity, stamped and signed box, and stamped and signed turmeric cloth; forgery proof!
For those who love Yusen’s work, yet don’t have 6 grand to drop on a shohin pot, the pots of his grandson are a great alternative! Still pricey, but 1/8-1/4 the cost of a similiar Yusen! Production levels are very low(the highest number Ive seen on a certificate is 500)so their price should continue to rise.