Korean Baekja Porcelain Vase, "Ai no Tsubo" 1993 Japan Charity Commission

This is a large Korean white porcelain (baekja) vase, hand-painted with a serene, mist-layered Mt. Fuji landscape and inscribed on the reverse with Japanese cobalt-blue calligraphy — a one-of-a-kind commemorative piece known as "Ai no Tsubo" (愛の壺, "The Vase of Love"), commissioned in 1993 to mark the wedding of two Japanese professional golfers and to raise funds for a charity supporting people with disabilities across the Asia-Pacific region.

Cultural & historical narrative
The vase was made by Choi Jong-gap (崔鐘甲, art name Ilgang), a Korean ceramic artist born in 1958 in Gyeonggi-do, who began traditional ceramic training in 1975 and founded his own studio, the Ilgang Folk Ceramic Research Institute, in Yeoju in 1980 — a region long celebrated as a center of traditional Korean ceramic production. Over the following decade, Choi earned recognition across Korea's leading contemporary craft exhibitions. For this piece, he painted Mt. Fuji directly onto the classic rounded form of Korean baekja white porcelain — a deliberate, thoughtful gesture bridging Korean ceramic tradition with Japan's most iconic natural landmark, made specifically for a Japanese commission rather than an incidental design choice.

The occasion itself is recorded in an accompanying letter: in May of Heisei 5 (1993), following the April 15, 1993 wedding of professional golfers Michiko Matsubara (松原加代子) and Toshimitsu Deguchi (出口栄太郎), the couple partnered with their supporters' association and ADVA (Asia-Pacific Region Disabled Volunteer Association) to commission this vase as a fundraising gift for donors supporting the construction of a training center for people with disabilities. The vase itself carries the inscription 二人の愛 永遠に ("May the love of these two last forever"), flanked by the couple's own handwritten signatures — Michiko's in soft cursive, Toshimitsu's alongside a small hand-drawn heart — together with the names of supporting organizers and the ADVA charity's own emblem and full name painted at the base.

Attribution note
This vase is accompanied by an original certificate of authenticity from the Ilgang Folk Ceramic Research Institute (一江民俗陶藝研究所), Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, identifying artist Choi Jong-gap (崔鐘甲) as the maker and detailing his training and exhibition history, alongside a separate commemorative letter explaining the 1993 charity commission. Together, these constitute fully documented dual provenance: a verified Korean maker and a verified Japanese commemorative occasion.

Care + closing
Hand wash only with mild soap and a soft cloth. A singular piece of tangible history — equally a work of Korean ceramic craft and a record of a specific act of Japanese philanthropy — for collectors drawn to cross-cultural provenance and commemorative ware with a documented story.