Dimensions
Height: 20.1 cm; Mouth diameter: 4.7 cm; Body diameter: 11.0 cm; Base diameter: 8.9 cm; Weight: 628 g
Chosun Karatsu is considered the highest-ranking among the various Karatsu kilns and was specialized in tea ceremony ware, producing items such as flower vases, water jars, furidashi, sake bottles, and sake cups.
The name “Chosun Karatsu” derives from the technique of pouring white sea-slug glaze over a black amber glaze base, a method characteristic of Korean style.
Flower vases are rare; while one occasionally sees sake bottles repurposed as vases, their proportions are often unsuitable, and if the white sea-slug glaze turns a dull black, the piece is ruined.
Masterpieces feature a white sea-slug glaze that remains pure white throughout, with interesting shapes; this piece with handles, for example, is truly one-of-a-kind and can be called a masterpiece.
The key to identifying a fine piece of Chosun Karatsu lies in the boundary between the black amber glaze and the white sea-slug glaze, where a pale green linear glaze has blended together skillfully.
