Height: 7.8 cm, Mouth Diameter: 10.1 cm, Foot Diameter: 4.5 cm
This is a modestly styled semi-cylindrical tea bowl with an inward-curving rim, a tapered body, and a flared base. The foot is low, the base is flat, and the interior of the foot is deeply carved to form a swirl-shaped cap. A thick layer of black glaze covers the foot and the area around it, though faint droplets of red glaze appear within the well-fused glaze around the rim. On the exterior, a shimenawa (sacred rope) motif is revealed by thinly scraping away the glaze. Dark brown clay mixed with fine sand is visible on the foot and the area surrounding it. Based on the kiln mark stamped beside the foot, this clay is believed to be an older type used prior to the Great Tenmei Fire; following this fire, Ryōnyū switched to using white clay. The lid of the accompanying box is inscribed with “Shimenawa-decorated Black Tea Bowl, Rakukichizōemon.”
