Revived Famous Item
Accessories: Inner box: Paulownia wood, white lacquer, inscription by Hosokawa Sansai; Outer box: Paulownia wood, white lacquer, inscription by Funakoshi Iyo-no-kami; Outer box: Sticker with inscription by Kanshi-an Munenobu
Provenance: Konoike Family
Dimensions
Height: 10.5 cm Mouth diameter: 9.2–9.6 cm Foot diameter: 5.4 cm Same height: 0.5 cm Weight: 425 g
This is a very simple tea bowl. The artist is not Japanese, but likely a Korean potter. It seems that tea masters preferred this style of pottery.
This tea bowl feels like it was made specifically for tea.
There is a mark resembling a fingerprint slightly above the foot and below the waist. This is likened to “ko no ko mochi” (a type of rice cake), and the inscription reads “Ko no Ko Mochi.” The season when “ko no ko mochi” is eaten, namely the 10th month of the lunar calendar, is when tea is said to be at its best. Perhaps the beauty of this tea bowl was appreciated during such a time.
This is one of the three cylindrical tea bowls owned by Rikyu and is an early example of Karatsu ware.
