Accessories: Inner box, paulownia wood, inscription by Kobori Enshu
Provenance: Furuta Oribe
References: Toda Roin, Shogaku Shu; Meibutsu Shu, Meibutsu Mekki Monjo, by Kikunoya Hikojiro; Kanso Zasshi; Chuo Taisho Chado Ki
Dimensions
Height: 7.7–8.0 cm Mouth diameter: 11.3–12.9 cm Foot diameter: 7.3 cm Height: 0.9 cm Weight: 380 g
Among Korean-made Tang-style tea bowls, the Gosho-maru tea bowl is one of the most uniquely shaped. Gosho-maru refers to tea bowls brought to Japan by the Tokugawa shogunate’s official ship, the Gosho-maru. There were probably many types of tea bowls brought on this ship, but this particularly distinctive type came to be called Gosho-maru. Among these, the one listed here, Furuta Goryo, is considered the finest.
“Furuta” refers to Furuta Oribe, and the name was later given by Kobori Enshu, who noted that it was a Goryeo tea bowl owned by Oribe. As is commonly said, the Gosho-maru tea bowl strongly reflects Oribe’s personal preferences. It was likely commissioned from a kiln in Gyeongnam, Gyeongju, Korea, using Oribe’s own design. Among the Gosho-maru tea bowls with Oribe’s cut shape, the fact that Oribe himself owned this one makes it his most representative work, perfectly aligned with his preferences. The story of how Kōnoike Rōsetsu went to great lengths to acquire this piece is well-known.
Inner box: Paulownia wood, white lacquer, inscription by Kobori Enshū.
