Height: 7.7 cm; Mouth diameter: 10.1–12.0 cm; Foot diameter: 5.3 cm
Chokusui Art Museum
This black tea bowl is immediately recognizable as a copy of Kōetsu’s style. The body and rim are shaped into a slight oval, and the way the body rises from the waist is distinctly Kōetsu-esque. However, while the footring imitates Kōetsu, it reveals a different artistic touch, and a shallow tea pool is formed on the interior surface. The glazing technique, which leaves the fired clay exposed from the rim outward, is in the Kōetsu style, and the black glaze is also relatively similar to the black glazes of Dōin and Kōetsu. There is a single kiln flaw along the rim, and the flat, tatami-style foot retains about five haphazardly arranged kiln marks; these too are imitations of Kōetsu’s style. It comes with a matching box bearing the inscription “Black Tea Bowl, In’en” on the lid’s exterior. Among Ichigen’s imitations of Kōetsu, this is one of the finest examples and a standout piece in terms of craftsmanship.
