The "Flower Vase Laboratory" has launched a collaborative project between the "Azuma Makoto Flower and Tree Laboratory," a collaborative project between flower artist Azuma Makoto's experimental creations based on flowers and plants, and "Maruwakaya," a manufacturer that utilizes Japanese traditions and techniques. The first project is a flower vase created in collaboration with the renowned pottery, Tsuji Seijisha. Flower vases have been treasured as works of art since ancient times and have evolved while incorporating various cultures and eras. The "Flower Vase Laboratory" was launched with the aim of rediscovering the essential value of flower vases by focusing on both "flowers" and "vessels" and incorporating a modern sensibility. The first project in this partnership with Tsuji Seijisha features the large "Four Gentlemen" vase, a striking example among the masterpieces of the Tsuji family, a pottery purveyor to the Imperial Court and renowned as a "mythical kiln." This large vase, which features four plants representing each of the four seasons in a single image, has been expanded with four new plant motifs representing the "modern four seasons," creating a concept of "eight gentlemen" rather than "four gentlemen." The blue flowers, painted with the delicate brushwork of the 15th generation Tsuji Hitachi, appear to thrive within the vessel, seemingly imbued with eternal life. Flower Vase Research Institute Contact Information: http://maru-waka.com