Height: 6.0 cm; Mouth diameter: 13.2–13.4 cm; Foot diameter: 5.6 cm
On the outside of the inner box lid, Jushinsai has inscribed “Nihyaku-no-uchi Raku Sanyu Seal”; on the inside of the lid, he has written “Yoko Sanyu (signature).” It was likely named “Yoko” because it is a shallow, flat tea bowl with a low rim and because a single horizontal line is marked on the body.
Even among the limited number of Sanyu works I have seen, this is an outstanding piece and can be considered a quintessential example of Sanyu’s red Raku ware.
The bowl tapers slightly inward from the waist to the rim, features a stepped interior, and has a gently undulating rim. The foot is small and compact, with a distinct tomoe-shaped hood pattern carved inside; the carving around the foot is somewhat deep, and four flat grooves are carved from the edge of the foot to the waist. A clear, circular tea pool is carved into the wide interior. This is a tea bowl with a well-balanced composition. Although Sairyu was apparently skilled at imitating Kōetsu, this piece alone suggests he possessed considerable technical skill. It features Sairyu’s distinctive red raku style; the white glaze applied over the ochre base is somewhat thick, and the glazed surface appears as if a white haze has settled over the red ground. Raku tea bowls housed in their original boxes—especially those bearing inscriptions by the head of the school from the same era—are highly prized; in this sense, this piece can be considered a quintessential example of such a set.
