Property from a private collection of tea wares SEN SŌSHITSU XV (BORN 1923)Planting Rice Showa era (1926-1989), before 1950 A hanging scroll brushed in ink and light color on paper depicting two figures wearing wide-brimmed wickerwork hats planting green rice seedlings in a paddy, the water of the paddy shown in loose strokes of blue, signed Masaoki with a kaō With a wood tomobako storage box inscribed on the lid Jihitsu taue no zu Masaoki (Self-brushed painting of planting rice by Masaoki) with a kaō 11 x 12 1/8in (27.9 x 30.8cm) Provenance Shibunkaku, Kyoto, early 2000s Sen Sōshitsu XV, known currently by the name Sen Genshitsu, is the retired 15th-generation Grand Master of the Urasenke Chadō Tradition, one of the main schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Born the first son of the 14th-generation Grand Master, he was first given the name Masaoki before being declared the heir apparent in 1950, upon which he took the name Sōkō. When he assumed the position of Grand Master following his father's death, he received the name Sōshitsu, which is the traditional name of each generation of Urasenke Grand Master. Beyond his involvement with the Urasenke organization, he has served in roles with Rotary International, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the United Nations, UNESCO, and was awarded the Order of Culture by Emperor Akihito of Japan