Approximate size: W5.3″ by W4.5″ by H2.8″ or 13.5 by 12.7 by 7.1 cm
This is an antique kuro Oribe – black Oribe chawan or ceremonial tea bowl. Loosely thrown and then deformed by hand, a shape the Japanese call ‘kutsu gata’. This is a tea bowl that follows the Oribe style of tea ware closely. The black glaze is applied thickly and shows a strong crawling finish, an effect that is caused by different cooling rates between the clay and the glaze. The chawan has a definite front side, where upon a white Mt. Fuji shaped area is drawn a simple decoration of what I presume are grasses in black. The entire bowl is finished with a semi-transparent white glaze. A chawan with a very good atmosphere, hefty in the hand and prominent presence. I think this chawan will enrich any collection.
Oribe is a visual style named after the late 16th century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). It’s most often seen in pottery, but extends to textiles and paintings. Oribe was of the Bushi class and not a potter however, he also (like many other influential figures in Japan’s art history), was something akin to an art director or designer. He embodied the spirit of wabi tea so completely that he was able to give it form in a truly new and unique vision. Boldly formed, often intentionally distorted chawan, decorated with green, black and brown glazes and abstract designs appeared on the Tea ceremony scene in Kyoto.
Throughout the late Momoyama (1573–1615), and early Edo periods (1615–1868), in Japan, the art of the Japanese tea ceremony underwent new developments. Great tea masters such as Takeno Jōō (1502-1555), Sen no Rikyū (1522-1591), and Furuta Oribe (1544–1615), revolutionised the utensils, rituals and ceramics used in tea ceremonies. As time passed, technology improved and kilns advanced; improved firing conditions allowed the creation of Oribe ware, a new kind of ceramic used in these tea ceremonies.
The motifs, taken from nature or other decorative patterns such as textiles, were ground-breaking in their bold informality. Casting aside Korean and Chinese influences, they were also entirely Japanese. It must have been this recognition of a new Japanese aesthetic that caused tea devotees to cherish Oribe ware. Its ability to capture something of the artistic and spiritual soul of Japan quickly spread throughout the country, and its mass popularity continues to this day.
As it used to be considered bad form to mark or impress tea utensils with ones ego and as such this chawan is unsigned. There are no chips or cracks and condition is excellent. Stored in a high quality unsigned paulownia shiho-san tomobako or storage box of which the lid is inscribed with kutsugata kuro Oribe chawan or black deformed shaped Oribe tea bowl.
€375 + shipping cost
Quality Chanoyu Articles 