Accessories: Inner box, black lacquered with gold lettering, written in Shokado brush.
Provenance: Osaka lumber merchant Omiya Dokyu – Fujita family.
Listed in: Taisho Meiki Kanko (Taisho Masterpieces).
Dimensions:
Height: 5.7-6.1 cm, foot diameter: 4.7 cm, mouth diameter: 15.3 cm, same height 0.7 cm, weight: 195 g.
Owner: Osaka Fujita Museum of Art.
The box is inscribed with “Yuzo-zan” in what is said to be the brushwork of Matsukawa-do. Yuzo-zan is likely a play on the name of Ogura-yama, and the glaze of this tea bowl is thought to evoke the scenic beauty of Ogura-yama, with its mix of blue and red maple leaves. Originally owned by Omiya Dokyu, a timber merchant in Osaka, it later passed into the Fujita family.
The bowl is made in an open kiln, with a soft curve to the body and a rough, unpolished bamboo-jointed foot. The unique glaze further emphasizes the bowl’s gentle character. The glaze, which has a grassy green hue with hints of red, is applied evenly across the surface, softly enveloping the angular edges of the foot and the carved foot rim. Furthermore, the glaze is covered with extremely fine cracks known as “fish roe patterns,” which give the tea bowl a subtle sense of calm. These delicate cracks are created by the interplay between the clay and glaze, as well as the rate at which the piece cools. Such a beautiful example is rare, which is why this technique is highly valued and referred to as “well small crack.”
Inner box: Black lacquer with gold powder lettering, inscribed by Matsukado brush.
