Chinese Daimeibutsu
Accessories
Lid, one, nest
Two covers, box, paulownia, white wood, inscription
Hikike, one, black lacquer, sticker, inscription
Hikike cover, one, large peony Donshu
Inner box, paulownia, white wood, inscription
Outer box, black lacquer, gold lettering, inscription
Transmission
Ashikaga Yoshimasa—Shinoya Sōkyū—Tōdō Takatora—Kambara Tadakata—Yagyū Imperial Collection—Himeji Sakai Tadakata—Sakai Tadahiro—Tokugawa Iemitsu—Kofu Tokumatsu—Yagyū Imperial Collection—Mitsui Family
Record
Tokugawa family collection, catalog of tea ceremony utensils and paintings, Meibutsu-ki, Kan-kyu-gai-hitsu, Tsuda Sōkyoku Chayū Nikki, Matsuya notes, Higashiyama Imperial Collection, Sakurayama Fuji-an Memo Extracts, Kansei Shūshū Shokake-fu Han-han-fu, Sukiya Utensil Ledger, Ganka Meibutsu-ki, Gyokuro-sō, Upper Utensil Ledger.
Dimensions
Height: 9.0 cm, Mouth diameter: 4.9 cm, Base diameter: 4.1–14.3 cm, Weight: 145 g
This tea caddy was highly prized as the sister piece to the Hatsuhana tea caddy in the Tokugawa family.
Overall, the glaze is well melted, creating a tranquil scene, and the inscription “Late Cherry Blossoms” seems fitting for the “First Blossoms” of the Hatsuhana tea caddy.
The shape is gentle, the base plate is well-proportioned, and it is a complete tea caddy.
It was long kept as a treasured item in the imperial court, later acquired by the collector Mitsui Takata, who cherished it greatly. It adorned the tea ceremony gatherings, a memory that remains with the author. This is considered a quintessential example of a Tang-style tea caddy.
Hikike shifuku: Large peony Donshu
