Famous Handmade Item
Major Famous Item
Important Cultural Property
Accessories: Inner box made of paulownia wood with gold-leaf lettering by Kanamori Sōwa; outer box with black lacquer finish, gold-leaf lettering, and a label on the underside of the lid
Provenance: Tsutsui Junkei → Toyotomi Hideyoshi → Yamashina Bishamon-dō Monzeki
References: Rikyu Hyakka Kai, Chōan-dōki, Tōcha-wa Shinkō-ō, Taisho Meiki-kan
Dimensions
Height: 9.5–9.8 cm Mouth diameter: 15.0–15.4 cm Foot diameter: 5.6 cm Height: 1.6 cm Weight: 436 g
The three bowls by Kisaemon, Hosokawa, and Kaga are collectively referred to as “Mitsui-do,” but recently, there has been a growing consensus that this should be expanded to “Yon-ido” by including this piece. Originally owned by Tsutsui Junkei, it was later presented to Hideyoshi, who dropped it and broke it. Hosokawa Yūsai retrieved it, referencing an old poem about the Tsutsui tube, and the story has become famous. Since then, it has been commonly referred to as the Tsutsui Tube.
It is a fairly tall bowl, and therefore has a deep and spacious interior. The interior features swirling wheel marks, and four marks where the tea bowl was placed on the stacked firing remain, creating a scenic pattern.
The foot of this tea bowl is particularly tall, and it is cut sharply from the waist of the bowl, giving it a very powerful appearance. The glaze is a milky white with a hint of red, and is relatively thick both inside and out. The interior and exterior of the foot are, as is customary, scraped with a chisel, creating a crinkled texture, and the accumulated glaze forms a beautiful pattern.
Inner box: Paulownia wood, with a label written by Kanamori Sōwa.
Outer box: Lid interior, with a label.
