Height: 7.1 cm; Mouth diameter: 18.8 cm; Foot diameter: 6.1 cm
Raku Museum
Doraku was the younger brother of Donyu, and it is said that he also fired tea bowls, stamping them with an inverted “Raku” mark—commonly known as the “left-character” mark.
However, nothing is known about Doraku’s life, and there are very few tea bowls bearing the “left-character Raku” mark attributed to him. Furthermore, some of these bowls feature slightly different mark shapes, so determining which should be considered the standard form will require further research.
Among the tea bowls bearing the “Samonji Raku” mark known to me, this piece exhibits an antique style and is an excellent example of the craftsmanship typical of Dōnyū’s younger brother. It is a thick, generously sized flat tea bowl, whose form is based on the flat tea bowls pioneered by Chōjirō. The interior is spacious, and the rounded waist is crafted with a natural, unpretentious elegance; however, the footring is sturdy and robust, with a broad base. The area around the footring has been deeply carved, with so-called “leaping spatula” marks running around it; traces of carving also remain on the body. The glaze, applied thinly and smoothly, is a distinctive reddish-yellow raku. A clear “Samonji” mark is stamped inside the footring.
