Height 8.3 cm, mouth diameter 10.7 cm, base diameter 4.7 cm
The origin of the inscription is not clear, but it is said to have been used by Sen no Rikyu at the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony. On the back of the lid of the inner box, Esen wrote “Rikyu’s seal is on the left side of the black tea bowl (hanashii)”, which suggests that he wrote this inscription at the request of the owner, Kozen’in. This means that there must have been a seal of Rikyu in the past. On the cover, Zuiryuusai Sosa wrote “Kitanokuro, Kozenin uchirou-fu shouzoku yu sousa (Hanaseki)”. Therefore, it seems to have been called “Kitano Kuro” from early on and was a prominent black tea bowl owned by Rikyu. On the back of the lid of the outer box, Nyoshinzai wrote “Kitanokuro Chojiro Tea Bowl, Aigenzai Bunzoe Zuryusai Kyoku Koshin Left (Hanashii)”, which was later handed down to Fuyuki Kiheiji in Edo, Matsudaira Kaimori around Kansei period, and Matsudaira Fumai around Bunka period.
The body is gently swollen, with a slight bend in part of the body, and the mouth is held slightly inward, with a slightly high and clear base and a small spiral in the width of the helmet. The entire surface is covered with a thick layer of kuroyuzu (black citron), but the glazed surface is not smooth, perhaps due to excessive firing, and has a rather rough and rough surface. The body is slightly thicker than the body of the “large kuro,” but the bottom is much thinner. It is regrettable that a part of the body is heavily damaged and has been repaired together.
