Height 9.8 cm, mouth diameter 13.2 cm, base diameter 8.9 cm
Tokyo National Museum
This is one of the few representative carved Karatsu tea bowls. It is a four-sided cylindrical tea bowl with an extremely low base, and is thick and sturdy overall, making it slightly heavy to handle. Each side of the four-sided body is deeply carved with an “X” pattern to emphasize the sense of power. This type of carved karatsu or carved picture karatsu is rare in the history of Japan, but it is interesting to note that all of the examples we have seen have an “X” carved design, which probably indicates that they were made under special order at a certain period of time.
The feldspar glaze applied to the entire surface is different from that of Shino, with a deep grayish-brown color, and the carved patterns and the area around the base have a plum blossom skin shape. The base of the bowl is large and low, and it is a little too rough for a tea bowl. It is estimated to be made in Kishidake’s kiln. It was donated to the Tokyo National Museum by Mr. Hirota Matsushige.
