Height: 8.3-8.6cm
Diameter: 13.0cm
Foot diameter: 5.0cm
Height: 0.7cm
This is a type of Ko-Karatsu, made by Okukoma, and Karatsu tea bowls made by Okukoma have been held in the highest esteem since ancient times. Unlike most excavated Karatsu, this type of tea bowl is a one-off piece, and is a genuine tea utensil, so there is a difference in quality from ordinary Karatsu. The clay is made from finely strained earth, and the glaze is either thinly applied and oxidized to a loquat-colored hue, or fired in a reducing atmosphere to a bluish hue. The former has a softer glaze and a more pleasing shape, and is prized for its tea-like flavor. There are both large and small shapes, but the smaller, more compact shapes have been prized since ancient times.
Shinzoin is a small, deep bowl from Okukourai, and it has a particularly deep tea flavor, making it the most popular tea bowl for tea masters. The clay is reddish, and the glaze is a general loquat color, with natural gradations appearing in the glaze, or glaze runs and missing glaze spots visible in various places, making it extremely rich in scenic beauty. In addition to the 2-3 stone-like cracks, there are countless fine frayed lines scattered across the glaze, giving it a full sense of wabi. The fine lines of the pull-out are clearly visible in the clay at the base, and the fact that there is still some mud on the side adds to the tea-ceremony atmosphere. The foot ring is made of bamboo, and there is a small hood inside. The interior is spacious and has a lot of scenery, and the glaze has a peony-skin appearance. There are four vertical cracks on the rim, both large and small.
As you would expect from a tea bowl that was a favorite of Matsudaira Fumai, as recorded in the Unshu Zocho, it is a tea bowl that is full of highlights, and it is a masterpiece of the Okukoma school of Ko-Karatsu ware.
Accessories:
Inner box: paulownia wood, with the inscription “Okukora” on the lid
Same as above, with the inscription “Shinzoin” on the underside of the lid
This piece has this inscription because it was passed down through the Shinzoin family, and later became the property of Matsudaira Fumai, who treasured it for a long time. It is registered in the upper section of the “Unshu Zocho” (catalogue of the Unshu region) as
Shinzoin, Ko-Karatsu, box, Oku-takara, Ookawa Kiyoemon (Shinzoin, the temple of Lord Hosokawa Sansai), An’ei, Fushimi, ten-mai
.
After that, Nezu Aoyama received it from the Matsudaira family and treasured it, and then it returned to the collection of a certain Kyushu tea lover, but now it is once again in the collection of a certain family in the Chukyo region.
