Tea Scoop
The curvature is somewhat akin to the Arima-yama style, featuring black mottled patterns centered around the knot, with a relatively high waist proportion.
Case
Made from the same bamboo as the scoop, bearing the mouth mark “Yū” in the same brushwork as “Kuse-mai,” likely indicating simultaneous creation. The case is heavily chamfered diagonally, with the sesame bamboo roughly shaved and left unfinished.
Inscription: By Kobori Enshū “Yū Ran’kyoku: Named for its colored nodes”
Accessories
Inner box: Fir, natural wood; Outer label: Paulownia, inlaid; Inscription: By Kobori Enshū
“Ran’kyoku: Named for its colored nodes. Made by Sōhō”
Addendum
A sibling piece to “Kusemai”. Both inscriptions derive from Noh plays.
Recorded in
Tsuchiya Inventory Ledger (Sōfu’s work: Ran-kyoku length 5 sun 7 bu 5 bu, box lid with cedar inlay, bag with five-color donzu, tube cracked) Tea Scoop 300 Selections
Dimensions
Tea Scoop
Length 17.2
Width 0.6–1.0
Thickness 0.2
Tube
Length 18.8
Diameter 2.3
