National Treasure. This is a Raku ware tea bowl by Hon’ami Koetsu. According to Kanamori Tokusui, it was so called because of the snow-covered appearance of Fuji, and Kusama Waraku named it after his boastful feeling that the workmanship was superb. During Koetsu’s lifetime, there were many people who wanted to have tea bowls made by him, but he did not make them easily. A wealthy man in Osaka offered to accept Koetsu’s daughter as a bride and asked her to make a single tea bowl without any preparation. On the box, Koetsu’s handwriting “Fujisan Daihyouan” (Great Fujisan) and Koetsu’s square black seal are stamped. Since there was no bag, the bowl was wrapped in a tear of a daughter’s furisode (long-sleeved kimono), hence the name furisode chawan (tea bowl with furisode sleeves). The cloth is still attached to the bowl. Formerly owned by the Sakai family of Himeji. (Honcho pottery Novelogue, Chawaniki Meimono Zushu, Taisho Meikikan)
