HAGI SSO SENDAI. Relief for Japan.

[Chip]

Welcome to HAGI SSO 15 Sendai by Yamane Seigan, Relief for Japan!

(please see the first several posts by me for all information!)

This SSO is Super Special for several reasons.

This SO will be offered in TWO PHASES. Each phase includes premium quality Hagi pieces that were produced in a very limited and EXCLUSIVE run for members of TeaChat!!! You may never see this white/black/gold glaze again as it was purely an "accident of an accident." See below for more explanations.

Phase 1 will include 5 pieces that are upgraded and unique to SSO 15 Sendai, and are the most limited pieces. These pieces will be offered in an auction format. See below for how the auction will work, however bidding begins at 6 pm today via PM to me (Sunday and will run for 23 hours, ending at 5 pm Monday (one hour prior to Phase 2). The Phase 1 pieces include a dramatic notched foot and an upgraded box!



Phase 2 will be discussed in future posts in this topic beginning around 3 pm on Monday 5/23. PM order requests to me for Phase 2 will be accepted on or after 6 pm Monday. Phase 2 includes pieces with the exact same glaze as Phase 1 pieces, just a standard foot and standard wood box.



Some close-ups showing off the varied White/Black/Gold glaze in waves. Turbulent, beautiful, yes?





Here are links to my photobucket.

Examples of Phase 1 Notched Foot and Phase 2 Standard Foot.
http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll60 ... %20Sendai/

Phase 1 Notched Foot selection. 2 pages!
http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll60 ... %20to%205/

I suggest you do NOT use the slideshow that makes the photos smaller. Instead click on 1 photo and then click next or previous. This will give you larger and more close up photos.

PLEASE pay close attention to the numbers as instead of #2 being to the left of #3, it is reversed, Japanese style. Same with #4 and 5. Each photo has a title for clarity!

[Chip]

A little background is in order. When I first saw the prelim photos for this SO 15, I immediately thought one word, "Sendai," and also immediately thought this SO should be a fundraiser for the relief efforts in Japan.

We hope to raise at least 500 USD for the relief effort. I hope we can raise 750 USD! I will be ecstatic if we were to raise 1000 USD. But whatever we raise, it will help!

Thanks should also go to Magokorodo for his assistance and sacrifices for this SO!

...........................................................................

About the pieces. When I first saw the prelim photos, I was struck by the waves of glaze that reminded me of that tragic day and I knew what I had to do!

The glaze is turbulent yet is it beautiful, just like nature. I continued to see metaphors in this piece, most of which I will leave to your imagination. It will always remind me of that tragic day, but also the love for Japan many of us share, and the focus forward that is Japan.

As mentioned, the first word that came to mind was "Sendai." I immediately asked permission to name these pieces Sendai and asked for assistance in putting together this fund raiser.

The glaze is purely an accident of an accident (one of those metaphors comes to my mind)! There was a prototype that was an accident that we were attempting to reproduce. After 2 failed attempts, the accident of the accident happened, and this piece was born. It will likely never be reproduced!

The glaze is a beautiful waves of white with varying amounts of black speckles flowing in the waves of white. There are accents of gold!

The shape is very "summery," wan (bowl), wide and tapered with an awesome flare at the top. The body's bottom is rounded, not angular adding to the overall fluid and unique appearance of the piece. The Phase 1 pieces' diameters are around 3.5" (8.5 cm). The Phase 2 diameters are a tad over 4" (10+ cm). The shape is perfect for hot Summer tea enjoyment as the shape will allow the tea to cool a bit.

[Chip]

Phase 1 Auction.

The 5 pieces in this auction are the only 5 with notched feet. These are very dramatic as well. Also an upgraded wood box is included. The remaining 20 of Phase 2 have more standard Hagi feet and standard wood box.





*Special note, 4 of the 5 pieces of Phase 1 auction have waves of glaze that serendipitously flowed over Yamane Seigan's stamp on the bottom. (yet another one of those metaphors I spoke of) This is not unheard of, it simply happens sometimes.

All boxes include special designation stamp indicating the piece was made exclusively for TeaChat as well as number/total run (3/25 for #3 of 25 total pieces).

You can begin PMing your bid directly to me at 6 pm on Sunday 5/22 Eastern USA time, this evening. Opening bids should be at least 60 USD, though I am hoping for some more generous bidding!

Auction closes at 5 pm on Monday 5/23 Eastern USA time.

PLEASE include your pick preference and bid. You can bid on more than one piece, however if you are successful for one piece, we will first allow other bidders of other pieces to have a piece. So, if you do bid on more than one piece, you will only be obligated for one piece, your highest successful bid.

You can increase your bid anytime during the auction which will end exactly at 5 pm on Monday 5/23.

I will post updates on the bids for each piece (but no names!) at least 4 times before the auction close. So you can track your status. The last guaranteed update will be 1 hour before the auction closes, but likely closer to close as well!!!

Highest bid, bid as high as you want. You will only be held to up to 5 USD above the 2nd highest bid for item bid upon.

Consolation bidders (non winners) will be given the opportunity to apply their bid to their top pick(s) from the remaining Phase 2 (20) pieces ahead of the general offering. All 20 are beautiful, but there are always ones that really catch our eyes.

[Chip]

Basic ordering information. This is a TeaChat exclusive special offering. Your order must be placed via PM to your friendly Moderator (me). I will reply with more information. Please be patient.

Contact me with any questions or post them in this topic. Do not contact Magokorodo with your order or with questions.

You will receive a confirmation PM from me, but please be patient as figuring everything out takes some time.

When PMing your bid/order, please also include ...

Your name
Full mailing address as it should appear on package
Phone number for customs forms
Shipping preference EMS or SAL
Paypal email address

1 work shipment cost: SAL United States (18.75$), United States EMS (28.75$), and Europe EMS (33.50$). Other, please ask me.

2 works shipment cost (if possible): SAL United States (29.25$), United States EMS (42.00$), and Europe EMS (46.25$). Other, please ask me.

Remember, EMS is safest method, guaranteed, fastest, and trackable. SAL is relatively safe but is not guaranteed! It is slightly slower and is not trackable.

At this time, it is no longer possible to combine TC SOs with other items from Magokorodo. Sorry. Hopefully we will be able to do this again in the near future.

[Chip]

And this topic is live ...

[Chip]

You may now bid on Phase 1 ... the auction will remain open til 5 pm Monday, May 22nd. Eastern USA time.

Place your bids via PM to your friendly Moderator.

[Drax]

These cups are really quite beautiful.... the gold color seems to be something of a rarity in Seigan's work, too.

Also, this offering is a great opportunity to help out in some way with relief efforts -- speaking of which, what exactly will be the recipient of the relief efforts...? (:

[Chip]

And bidding has commenced for a very good cause ... plus some really astoundingly beautiful pieces are up for grabs to the highest bidders ... or should I say contributors.

These cups are really quite beautiful.... the gold color seems to be something of a rarity in Seigan's work, too.

Also, this offering is a great opportunity to help out in some way with relief efforts -- speaking of which, what exactly will be the recipient of the relief efforts...? (:

Thanks for asking, Drax. We are working this out currently. This whole thing literally came together in the blink of an eye (I saw the original prelim photos and knew in a split second!). So, I am working with some friends in Japan and will continue to do so.

We want it to go to a cause where it will make a difference and not get swallowed up by administrative costs ... and of course a truly credible recipient!

I guess part of the decision will also be dependent on how successful we are. But it is good having friends in Japan to assist!!!

Again, thank you for asking!

[camw]

How much of an example bid of $60 would go towards relief efforts? Would a bid of $80 contribute $20 more than whatever the $60 figure is (I assume so, but wanted to check).

Also, can you confirm if the closing time is 3pm or 5pm, as it is mentioned as both in separate places.

[Chip]

How much of an example bid of $60 would go towards relief efforts? Would a bid of $80 contribute $20 more than whatever the $60 figure is (I assume so, but wanted to check).

Good question. Every dollar over $35 goes to the relief efforts. (of course shipping cost is not included) I thik this answers your question.

Like I mentioned in the previous posts, Magokorodo has made eager sacrifices for this endeavor!

[camw]

How much of an example bid of $60 would go towards relief efforts? Would a bid of $80 contribute $20 more than whatever the $60 figure is (I assume so, but wanted to check).

Good question. Every dollar over $35 goes to the relief efforts. (of course shipping cost is not included) I thik this answers your question.

Like I mentioned in the previous posts, Magokorodo has made eager sacrifices for this endeavor!

That does answer my question thanks.

Can you confirm the closing time? Assume 5pm is right, but 3pm is mentioned in one of the posts as well.

Edit: 3pm is towards the bottom of post 3 titled "Phase 1 Auction." Thanks for confirming it is 5pm.

[Chip]

Yes, the auction closes at 5 pm Eastern time USA on Monday May 23rd.

Thanks for pointing this out. I will look for the error. Before the start of the auction, 3 pm was the original close.

[Chip]

Bid updates! Thank you bidders! I am excited to see the early interest for such a good cause!

#1 $100
#2 $111
#3 $65
#4 $80
#5 $70

Members can of course continue to bid on #1-5 until 5 pm Eastern time USA, Monday 5/23.

I would ask that bids would be at least $2.50 more for pieces that have bids less than $100. For pieces with bids more than $100, please increase by at least $5. Of course you can also bid higher (or give me your max bid that can be placed for you).

[Chip]

Bid update! 8:15 am Eastern USA time.

#1 $100
#2 $111
#3 $68
#4 $88
#5 $100

A new rule ... while bids will be accepted up to 5 pm today, there will be no new bidders in the last 10 minutes of the auction for obvious reasons!!!

[Chip]

11:09 am Eastern time. Just under 6 hours remain in this Phase 1 auction!

#1 $100
#2 $111
#3 $71
#4 $91
#5 $100