Height: 8.1 cm, Mouth Diameter: 10.8 cm, Foot Diameter: 5.2 cm
This tea bowl is a collaborative work by Kōnyū and Seinyū. The lid of the box bears the inscription “Collaborative Work: Black Tea Bowl, First Creation by Raku Kichizaemon,” written in Seinyū’s hand, while the side of the footring is carved with the words “Made on the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th year of the Taisho era.” Therefore, it appears to be the first piece created by Kōnyū at age 64 and Seinyū at age 34, who had succeeded to the family business at age 33. This is a semi-cylindrical tea bowl with a strongly flared body, featuring a wide, sturdy, and generously proportioned foot ring. The foot ring and the area around it reveal a rough, white clay surface, while the rest is covered in black glaze, which has a soft, smooth finish. On one side of the body, a fence-like pattern is painted in a yellowish-brown hue, and within the deeply carved interior of the foot, Seinyu’s signature is stamped beneath the underglaze. On the underside of the box lid, Seisai has inscribed “Mie-ai, Left (Seal).”
