Height 16.8 cm, mouth diameter 9.4 cm, bottom diameter 91.4 cm
Mino tea ceremony ceramics of the Momoyama period (1573-1600) included numerous tea bowls, water jars, bowls, and mukozuke, but flower vases were extremely rare. Among these, this hanging flower vase by Tabimakura is a masterpiece of excellent workmanship with a deep taste for tea, and deserves special mention among Mino tea ceramics. The mouth is rounded and the body is four-sided, with a slightly flattened mouth rim and a gently rounded potter’s wheel on the body, leaving clear traces of thread cutting on the flat bottom. The body is thickly glazed on both the inside and outside, but the glaze is of varying shades, with brownish burn marks appearing in places, creating an interesting scene. Although there is a difference between a tea bowl and a flower vase, there are some similarities in glaze tone and workmanship with “Asahina,” and it is assumed that they were made by the same artist. Both works are unique as Kizeto ceramics.
On the cover of the inner box, there is an inscription by Tuan Yamamoto, a tea master of the Fujimura-Yoken period in the early Edo period, which reads “Rikyu’s favorite flower vase, Koseto, superb. The fact that “Asahina” is inscribed directly by Sen Muneaki gives a deep sense that this vase was made in a series.
On the cover of the outer box, there is an inscription in silver powder script, “Kiseido Hanayuri Hanayate,” but we do not know who wrote the inscription. It must have been fired in Oyayaki.
