Height: 9.8 cm, Mouth diameter: 9.4 cm, Foot diameter: 5.6 cm
On the front of the inner box lid, Jōshinsai has written “Red tea bowl, Raku Kichizaemon”; on the underside of the lid, he has written “Ryū to iu (signature).” Beside this, Ryōryōsai has added the certification “Mufun ya, Sa (signature).” Given that the inscription on the accompanying box reads “Raku Kichizaemon,” and since Jushinsai left this work in the first year of the Hōreki era, it goes without saying that this piece was created before he shaved his head and took the name Chōnyū at the age of 49 in the twelfth year of Hōreki. It was undoubtedly made between his late twenties and early thirties, and the style shows no signs of age, retaining a certain youthful quality.
The design shows the influence of Kōetsu’s tea bowls, featuring a shallow rim on an angular base and bold, flat grooves running around the cylindrical body. The circular foot is tall and generously proportioned, with a wide base and a deep hollowed-out section inside the foot. The rim features gentle undulations, and a small, round tea pool is sharply carved into the center of the interior. The character “Raku” is stamped at the base of the body; the glaze extends down to the base, while the area from the footring to the rim is left unglazed to reveal the raw clay. The red glaze varies in intensity from deep to light, with occasional fire-induced color variations, creating a truly elegant and picturesque tea bowl.
