Important Cultural Property
Accessories: Box, inscription by Priest Etsu
Provenance: Furuta Oribe – Inoue family – Fujita family
Listed in: Taisho Meiki Kan (Taisho Guide to Famous Art Objects)
Dimensions
Height: 6.2–7.5 cm Mouth diameter: 9.9–13.0 cm Foot diameter: 6.4–6.0 cm Height at foot: 0.9 cm Weight: 334 g
Owner: Osaka Fujita Museum of Art
The Gosho-maru tea bowl is made in the Oribe style, and its shape is exactly that of Oribe’s tsubo-gata (shoe-shaped) style. However, the typical Oribe tsubo tea bowl is most prominent among those commonly referred to as “black Oribe.” Black Oribe is named for its black glaze, but the two Furuta Goryo pieces mentioned earlier were made with white glaze alone, which gave them a slightly different appeal.
However, among the Gosho-maru tea bowls, there is a technique known as “Gosho-maru black brush,” which resembles black Oribe, combining white glaze with black glaze. This piece is considered the finest example of black brush, with a legitimate lineage tracing back to Oribe. While the overall shape is similar, the design is somewhat more subdued. Here, however, before applying the white glaze over the entire surface, iron sand resembling demon boards is applied to some areas, and patterns are drawn.
The white ground peeks through the black glaze, and iron paintings resembling fallen swans float on the surface, presenting the same charm as the black Oribe. The clay is reddish-brown, and a faint reddish hue also appears in the white glaze, giving it a remarkably gentle flavor.
Box inscription: Written by Eka Osho.
