Sabisuke

Bizen Hachiman Meibutsu
Accessories
Lid x1, Nest, Lid Box, White Paulownia Wood, Inscription by Matsudaira Fumai
Cover x1, Cover Box, White Paulownia Wood, Inscription by Matsudaira Fumai
Inner Box, White Paulownia Wood, Inscription by Shokado Shojo
Outer Box, White Paulownia Wood, Inscription by Matsudaira Fumai
Provenance
Furuta Oribe → Shokado Shojo → Sakai Gagaku-no-kami → Matsudaira Fumai → Gessan (Fumai’s heir)
Recorded in
Matsuya Hisashige Diary, Yoshimasu Kōen’s Illustrated Guide to Tea Containers, Kōshi Yawa Zoku-hen, Takimoto Ōki Monogatari, Takimoto Bō’s Collection of Treasured Objects, Takimoto Bō’s Possessions, Meibutsu Ki, Meibutsu Mekiri Monogatari, Kokon Chado Shū, Meibutsu Shū, Unshū-kō Mushi-harai Ki, Fushimiya Kokusho, Matsudaira Fumai Den, Daien’an Chakai Ki
Dimensions
Height: 7.5cm Mouth Diameter: 4.0cm Body Diameter: 6.1cm Base Diameter: 5.0cm Weight: 150g

This tea caddy was specially selected and treasured by Furuta Oribe from among Bizen tea caddies. It was passed down from his elder brother, Nakano Sakei, to Shokado Shojo, who inscribed it with the name “Sabisuke” and cherished it. As a result, it became a renowned Hachiman Meibutsu, and Matsudaira Fumai also treasured it as a rare piece. This is evident from Sakai Gagakudou’s earnest request to have it listed alongside other famous treasures.
Though fundamentally a rustic Bizen ware, it possesses further points of interest in its austere beauty. Moreover, being an antique piece from the Momoyama period, its natural patina likely made it all the more beloved by tea masters.
It bears the hand seal of the maker, “Roku.” Some texts attribute it to Shinbei, but it was likely commissioned through the first-generation Shinbei of the Tang goods shop.
The old brocade shifuku (cover) is called “sukazane” (smooth coin), its pattern interwoven with arabesques. It is particularly prized as an antique Kinran, a Meibutsu for connoisseurs.