Accessories: Box, paulownia wood, white lacquer, with inscription by Kobori Enshu
Provenance: Nakagawa Jikan → Kimura Shobei → Kōnoike family
Dimensions
Height: 7.5–8.0 cm, mouth diameter: 15.4–16.0 cm, foot diameter: 6.2 cm, height of foot: 0.7 cm, weight: 449 g
This tea bowl evokes a relaxed, carefree mood, free from attachment to material things. It appears to have been cherished by tea enthusiasts and well-used over the years.
As seen in this tea bowl, one of the conditions for a tea bowl is that it becomes more beautiful with use. When it first came out of the kiln, it was probably not a particularly remarkable tea bowl, but as it was used, the tea master’s aesthetic sensibility came into play.
This is one of two tea bowls cherished by Nakagawa Jikan, a physician of the Kaga domain, with one inscribed “Nakagawa” and the other “Jikan.” The “Jikan” bowl has a persimmon color and a well-style design, while this “Nakagawa” bowl is a pure Tangzhi piece, representing the early period of Tangzhi ware.
The shape is that of a bowl, with glaze applied to the upper half and the lower half exposed to the clay up to the foot, forming the basic form of Tangzhi tea bowls.
