Daimeibutsu
National Treasure
Height: 6.8–7.0 cm
Mouth diameter: 12.3 cm
Foot diameter: 4.3 cm
Foot height: 0.7 cm
One entry in the Kimitai-kan Sayōchōki states, “Yuteki comes next after Yōhen… the very finest examples should not be considered inferior even to Yōhen.” This piece is precisely such a top-tier Yuteki, hailed as a rare masterpiece; it has a verified provenance and is a renowned bowl of the highest caliber.
The shape is a typical “ken-hishigata” (diamond-shaped), with the rim firmly turned back. The foot is low, and the interior of the foot is shallow and flat, hollowed out to create a “snake’s eye” shape. Black glaze covers both the interior and exterior, over which countless silver-colored Yuteki patterns appear. Around the middle of the exterior, the glaze is chipped away, revealing the unglazed clay beneath.
The clay in the unglazed section is a slightly coarse earth rich in iron content; it has been fired to a hard, dense consistency and exhibits a dark, ash-gray hue. Below the rim, the glaze has run thin, taking on a reddish hue, with fine Yuteki scattered throughout. In the areas where the glaze has broken away at the waist, thick pools of glaze have formed; in these areas, the Yuteki have run, creating a rice-grain-like pattern. The lower edges of these glaze pools show signs of repair in several places; this likely indicates that the glaze drips were polished away at some point.
The Yuteki appear densely packed, leaving almost no gaps on either the interior or exterior, and the black glaze outlining them often remains as only a faint, thin line. The individual Yuteki have merged to form irregular shapes, and the thin outlines create a pattern that appears somewhat mysterious. The Yuteki patterns, shimmering silver, have a slight bluish tint overall, creating a captivating surface. The beauty of the interior is particularly exceptional; in the middle, a rainbow-like band shimmers from wisteria purple to pale blue-green, creating a unique and noble atmosphere.
The rim is encircled by a gold rim.
It is considered the most famous of all Yuteki Tenmoku tea bowls and is believed to have been fired at the Jian Kiln in Fujian Province, China, around the 13th century. Although it is unclear exactly when it was brought to Japan, it is thought to have arrived sometime during the late Kamakura or early Muromachi periods.
It was originally owned by Kanpaku Hideji and was counted among the Juraku tea utensils, but later passed to Nishi Hongan-ji Temple and subsequently to the Mitsui family of Rokkaku, Kyoto. It subsequently became part of the collection of the Sakai family, lords of the Wakasa domain, and has remained there to this day. It was designated a National Treasure in 1953.
The accompanying items include one white ha-ni-ju cover, one black lacquered box with a lock, two spare covers, and three Tenmoku stands. One of these is a vermilion lacquered chrysanthemum-shaped Tenmoku stand, which is said to have been owned by Kobori Enshū and was included when the bowl was in the Mitsui family’s possession. The other two are tenmoku stands known as “Wakasa-dai,” featuring red lacquer on the inside and blue lacquer on the outside; one of these is said to have been owned by Arima Ryōyuki.
