Important Cultural Property
Height 8.5cm, Bowl diameter 11.0cm, Stand diameter 4.7cm
This tea bowl was once owned by Sen no Rikyu, and since its subsequent transmission is extremely clear, it is regarded as a typical example of the Soyei-shaped black tea bowls produced in the late Tensho period. According to legend, this tea bowl was given by Rikyu to his heir Shoan between Tensho 14 and 16, and the inscription on the back of the lid of the inner box, written in red lacquer by Esen Soza, reads “Okuro Rikyu has Shoan Fu Sotan Goto Shosai yori Sosaza heru (flower seal). It is clear that the scroll was handed down from Shoan to Sotan, and according to the Bi-moiki, it was transferred from Sotan to his student Goto Shosai for a period of time, returning to Fushin-an again during Echen’s reign.
Afterwards, it was handed down to the Fushin-an, but after passing through Mitsui Josada, it was given to the Konoike family in Osaka, where it remained until after World War II as the family’s most prized possessions. The inscription “Rikyu Okuro Tea Bowl” on the cover of the outer box was written by Zuiryusai.
The body is gently rounded, and the mouth is held slightly inward, giving it a gentle appearance. The body is thick from the waist to the bottom, so it is a little heavy to handle. The small base is rounded at the corners, and a whorled helmet width is carved out of the base. The glaze on the tatami surface has partly peeled off to reveal red clay, so-called “juraku” clay, and the black glaze over the entire surface is quite glossy on one side and hazy on the other, with small patterns scattered around the surface. The omae is wide and spacious, with no deliberate tea stains, and there are four marks on the tatami mat, one of which was probably left where the glaze had peeled off. The glaze has lost all of its luster and has become a brownish glaze, probably due to the presence of tea stains from years of use. It is a tea bowl of apology, which is suitable for Rikyu’s “Kusa-no-kozashiki” and has a contained atmosphere.
This is one of the seven Chojiro teacups.
