Height: 7.8 cm, Mouth Diameter: 12.4 cm, Foot Diameter: 5.1 cm
On the underside of the inner box lid, Ittō of Kyōan has written, “Nonkō Black Tea Bowl (Seal) Araiso,” and this piece has been passed down through the Fukui family, the imperial physicians of Kyoto.
The form resembles a “lion,” with a thin construction; the rim is scalloped, the body is slightly tapered, and the round, well-proportioned footring is wide and flat, with five irregular glaze marks remaining. A “Raku” seal is stamped inside the footring, but it is indistinct due to the full glaze. Such marks covered by glaze are commonly referred to as “crushed marks.” A jet-black curtain glaze is applied thickly both inside and out; particularly around the exterior, it hangs thickly, and a white, cloudy snake-and-scorpion glaze appears vigorously along the rim, evoking the image of wave crests, just as the inscription “Araiso” suggests. Since this “snake-scorpion” pattern arises naturally from impurities drifting within the glaze, its vivid appearance is not at all jarring; rather, it serves as a rare and striking visual element that deepens the bowl’s impression. It is considered one of the masterpieces of Dōnyū black tea bowls.
