Height 7.9cm, mouth diameter 10.2cm, high stand diameter 4.7cm
This piece is inscribed by Ryotosai with the inscription “Sojiyaki Kurocha Bowl, Tokuwaka Left (Hanaseki)” on the box. It is quite different from the Soji ware shown in Figure 70. The height of the stand is small and the tatami mat is round. The glaze tone is also slightly different from that of Koraku Kasehada.
It is not clear when these tea bowls, which are different from the so-called Rikyu type, came to be called “Doan Kuro” or “Soji ware”, but it seems that they were judged as Soji, which are not typical of the so-called Rikyu type Chojiro ware, but are placed on the side. We would like to wait for further research to determine whether all of these pieces were fired in Chojiro’s kiln or in the Kyoto kiln described in the “Sotan Diary.
