Height: 9.8 – 10.0 cm
Diameter: 9.8 – 10.4 cm
Outside diameter of foot ring: 6.0 cm
Height of foot ring: 0.8 – 0.9 cm
This is a sturdy tea bowl with a thick, coarse texture.
There is a type of Setoguro called “Rikyu Seto”, which differs slightly from the usual Setoguro in terms of its production process. It is unclear why these bowls are called “Rikyu Seto”, but while ordinary Setoguro is thought to have been made between the Tensho and Bunroku periods, this type of bowl is thought to have been made in the Keicho period, probably in the kilns of the former residence of the Mino-Kushiro family, but this is not certain.
The clay is a sandy soil with a yellowish-white color, and the inside and outside are covered with a brownish-black glaze with a lot of iron, which is commonly called Koseto in the Seto region. There are no cracks, and it has a slight sheen. The glaze is almost the same as Setoguro, but unlike Setoguro, which is pulled out of the kiln when it is fired, this piece was allowed to cool slowly in the kiln, so it does not become as black as Setoguro, but rather a dark brown, and the thinly glazed areas have burned brown.
There is also some splashed glaze around the foot ring, but this too has burned brown due to the thin glaze.
There are several vivid brush marks around the rim, and the foot ring has also been scraped with a wooden brush. The tatami mat has been smoothed out, but there is a thick brush mark around the foot ring that stands out, and there are some rough areas.
The inside is deep, and there is a round, mirror-shaped dent in the center of the tea container, but the glaze around it is thin and has a burnt, metallic color.
The characteristic features of this tea container are its solid, dignified appearance and the large, imposing foot ring.
Inner box: paulownia wood, plain finish, “Rikyu” written on the front of the lid, “Hirase family” seal on the back of the lid
Outer box: paulownia wood, plain finish, “Banzai” written on the front of the lid, “Banzai, Sen’ichiraku, Mio, Oju, Don’o” written on the back of the lid
This tea bowl is known as a famous bowl from the Rikyu Seto kiln, and has been passed down in the Hirase family of Osaka.
