Chukoh specialty. This tea caddy is made in Karatsu ware. The inscription is from a poem by Enshu Kobori, entitled “Shigawa mare ni naru naka ni nareru naru nare ni kare ni watase magpie no hashi” (The magpie’s bridge is flowing in the middle of the Shigawa River), by Ietaka Fujiwara of the Mibu Shu. The Shigawa River is located in Chikushi County, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is also called the Aihatsu River and the Urushigawa River. In ancient Japanese poetry, it is called Shihatsukawa or Shigawa, which seems to have been associated with Karatsu ware. It is a tea caddy with many cut spatulas and a lot of tea flavor.
It was originally owned by Kobori Heiemon, who had it in the possession of Matsudaira Bizen no Mamoru, and then passed down through the townspeople of Kyoto and Osaka, until it came into the possession of Matsudaira Fumi during the An’ei era (1772-81). (Taisho Meikikan)
