A great masterpiece. Raku ware black tea bowl by Chojiro. This is a thinly made bowl with a slightly held mouth rim and a large damaged repair. The body is slightly bent and the rim of the base is thin and irregularly shaped. The shiny black glaze around the body reveals a distinctive brown glaze, and the whorl inside the bottom is convex in the center. The interior is generally covered with a brown glaze, so there is not much to see in particular. It was first owned by Rikyu and used at the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony, then passed through Kozenin and Fuyuki Kiheiji to Matsudaira Kaimori during the Kansei era (1789-1801), and then to Matsudaira Fumai during the Bunka era (1804-18) for a price of 350 ryo. Fumai respected it and placed it in the category of great masterpieces along with the Rokujo hyojo-shu and Honnoji bunrin, and bequeathed it to Seiji Gekitan to be preserved for a long time. (Taisho Meikikan)
