Height: 11.5 cm, Mouth Diameter: 9.2 cm, Foot Diameter: 4.9 cm
Raku Museum
On the underside of the inner box lid, Matagen-sai Ittō has inscribed: “Nonkou Red Tea Bowl, Inscription: Sannin, Ittō.” Dōnyū’s red cylindrical tea bowls are extremely rare, and the small “Raku” seal stamped inside the footring is also a small seal that is rarely seen. Tea bowls bearing this small seal are said to be Dōnyū’s early works, but since there are few comparable examples, this remains unclear. However, since most extant representative works bear large seals, it is possible that Dōnyū used small seals during a specific period in his early career. This is a cylindrical tea bowl with a tapered waist, crafted with a generally thin wall. The interior is slightly flat, and Dōnyū’s distinctive touch is evident in the rim and the rounded waist. It is coated with a sandy glaze characteristic of Dōnyū’s red raku ware, though kiln changes are visible on both the interior and exterior. The form is defined by faint, broad vertical striations on the exterior. The foot and the area around it are left unglazed, revealing the red, sticky clay, and a small seal is stamped inside the foot.
