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Longevity

http://suisekiart.com/2009/12/04/live-long-and-prosper/
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Then he happened to put it like this, and realized it looked like a turtle. This was incredibly exciting - a turtle to a Japanese brings good fortune for a long life.
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Then he happened to put it like this, and realized it looked like a turtle. This was incredibly exciting - a turtle to a Japanese brings good fortune for a long life.

kamesanlongevitysuisekisuiseki arttenju

  • When Mas found this stone he did not have any particular idea of how to see it or show it. But the stone quality was exceptional (much of it is translucent jadeite), and the two different stone types were so interesting.<br /> <br /> At first he looked at it at various angles, looking for an interesting mountain, and trying to decide where to cut the stone. When he put it at this angle he noticed that it looked like an animal, maybe a cow.
  • From this angle it looks to me like a sheep.
  • Then he happened to put it like this, and realized it looked like a turtle. This was incredibly exciting - a turtle to a Japanese brings good fortune for a long life.
  • This was Mas' first attempt at finishing the stone. He focused on it as a Dobutsu-seki - or Animal-shaped Stone, with exaggerated, (but rather stylized), legs and tail. In this version, the stone is emphatically Kame-san (Mr. Turtle).<br /> <br /> He showed the stone in this base in 2001 at the 20th Anniversary exhibit of the San Francisco Suiseki Kai
  • View from the side
  • And the other side (showing the tail).
  • This is a plaster model to see how the stone would work on a very stylized, sculptural base. It doesn't work at all, and Mas didn't bother to make this one in wood !
  • This is a plaster model of a simplified, contemporary style diaza. In this style, the base is simple, with little decoration or visual movement and the legs are small and try to disappear. <br /> <br /> As Mas said about this one "it has no bite".
  • Side view of "contemporary" base
  • Side view of "contemporary" base
  • ”Longevity" (天寿 Tenju); 17" W x 14" D x 9 " H; Jadeite from Eel River<br /> <br /> After about 10 years of working with this stone, and trying various approaches, Mas has settled on using a fairly traditional suiseki daiza. He took inspiration for the legs from those seen in some fine furniture. One of the features that I particularly like is the "collar" he carved under the neck. <br /> <br /> While he is basically happy with daiza, he is not yet fully satisfied. In particular, feels that the legs need refinement.
  • Back view
  • A side view, showing the tail.<br /> <br /> The mythical turtle in Japan is known as minogame (蓑亀). The minogame can live for 1000 years, and is depicted with a long feathery tail made of the sea plants that grow in its shell.
  • From the front right side.
  • From the back.
  • Detail showing the two stone types and where they join. You can see the translucence of the jadeite.
  • The front view of the daiza.<br /> <br /> For a good suiseki, the base has to be beautiful in its own right. Only then can it enhance the stone.
  • Back view
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