Height: 9.5–9.9 cm; Mouth diameter: 9.0 cm; Foot diameter: 4.8–5.0 cm
Fushin-an
On the underside of the inner box lid, Jushinsai has inscribed “Kichizaemon Red, Jurojin, Left (seal).” Furthermore, since the side of the box reads “Arrived from Fukui, Year of the Rat,” it is presumed that this piece was not passed down to Fushin-an during Jushinsai’s lifetime, but was gifted later in the Year of the Rat by the Fukui family of Komatsubara, Kyoto. Both red tea bowls by Chōnyū included in this volume are cylindrical in shape; this is because I sought pieces housed in their original boxes or in boxes made by a master craftsman of the same era. Since this also bears a note by Jushinsai, it was made in the first year of the Hōreki era, when Chōnyū was 38 years old or younger; it is presumed to be a slightly later work than the black tea bowl, though this is not entirely clear.
This is a cylindrical tea bowl with a rounded waist; the somewhat large foot is shaped almost pentagonally on the outside and rounded on the inside, with a distinct “tomoe-kubiki” (tomoe-patterned headband) carved into the interior of the foot. The undulating rim is a typical “Gogaku” style, and it is thought that the formalization of the Gogaku style may have begun around the time of Chōnyū. A thick ridge has been added to the upper exterior, and a step has been carved into the interior; at the center of the interior surface is an irregular tea pool that appears to have been formed by a finger. The area around the footring is left unglazed to reveal the raw clay; the “Raku” seal is stamped at the base of the body; and the glaze, applied over a yellow earthenware base, is bright and vivid.
