Hōbichiku bamboo
16.5 (h) x 43.5 x 31 cm
Tomobako
Chikuunsai zō (made by Chikuunsai)
Suggested dating: 1944-1955
The title Fukumi literally means The Sea of Felicity, which is based on a Chinese saying Jusan Fukukai 寿山福海 . It was originally a Taoist belief in a “Mountain of Immortality and Sea of the Blessed” and is often quoted by Zen monks in Japan. The word 福海 can be pronounced Fukumi and Fukukai and is an auspicious term used to wish someone a long and happy life.
*Tekisuikyo is the name of the place where Chikuunsai the second was living before and after the World War Second for evacuation. It was between 1944 and 1955, and the signature with this description makes it possible to tell the approximate date of the piece.