Accessories: Box, paulownia wood, label, written by Matsunaga Mian
Provenance: Fujii family
Dimensions
Height: 8.3–8.5 cm, mouth diameter: 10.7–12.3 cm, foot diameter: 7.3–7.9 cm, height: 1.0 cm, weight: 435 g
This is a Gosho Maru white tea bowl passed down through the Kōnoike family and the Fujita family—it is the same style as the Furuta Goryō tea bowl.
It was also called “Fujii Gosho Maru” because it was owned by Fujii某, but recently, it was named “Yuki” by Matsunaga Mian. Both the style and glaze are similar to the two Furuta Goryō tea bowls, and it should be considered one of the three masterpieces of Gosho Maru white tea bowls.
The rounded bowl body with a protruding waist is lightly pressed into a tapered shape, with large chisel marks at the corners of the waist, and a high foot cut into a tortoise shell shape—all as described above. The contrast between the upper part with fine, thread-like wheel marks and the thick, bulging waist with chisel marks is always fascinating. The glaze is predominantly white with subtle red and blue mottles appearing here and there, making it endlessly fascinating to look at. Especially from the waist down, due to the thinness of the glaze, stains from air bubbles resemble rain leaks, and where the glaze has chipped away, the black of the clay peeks through, evoking the appearance of spring snow melting and covering the ground.
The name “Yuki” likely originates from this description.
Box: Paulownia wood; Inscription: Matsunaga Mian
