Please check our new category 'Vintage Tea Bowls', where we present once in a while high quality vintage chawans. This is a vintage Japanese hand-shaped pottery tea bowl of Seto ware, which was made about 50 years ago.

The seal of the potter is stamped on the bottom. Very artistic Tenmoku glaze.

Size: 8,8 cm height x 13 cm in diameter...

The natural ash glaze gradates from a light-glossy grey on one side to a blueish grey on the other. The foot of the bowl is unglazed at the base and shows traces of ferrous-rich clay in the form of an orangish hue. The mouth of the piece is somewhat oblong giving it an attractive shape and the rough texture and ash deposits in places give this bowl a weighty presence...

Exquisite glazing featuring a gradation that seems a product of both firing conditions and careful nurture by the artist. This piece displays a wonderful balance and nice sense of three-dimensionality.

In fine condition, this tea bowl measures 4.7 inches in diameter (11.8cm) and stands 3.3 inches tall (8.2cm). The bowl comes with its own wood box with poetic name "朝日" (Asahi) inscribed on the inside cover.

Wood fired Mino-ware with a deep and expressive iron glaze, this tea bowl is a delight to hold in the hand.

A native of Aichi Prefecture, the potter Kajiura Soshyu was born in 1916 and studied under Hayashi Sekko and Kimura Giichi. A multitalented artist, he is also rumored to have worked in painting and calligraphy...

Here is the only Onta Chawan of our collection: a rare and beautiful chawan of Onta ware, made in 1958 (the manufacting year is written on the originally signed wooden box).

The production dates back to the early 18th century. Onta ware is closely associated with Mingei folk art. The earth for the pottery is found in Onta in the mountains. It normally comes in the form of rocks and needs to be ground to a pulver...

Slightly distorted Japanese Chawan of light brown Mino clay coated with white and brown glaze, made around 1950. Fantastic wabi-sabi aura with intended imperfections. A true beauty for the tea ceremony.

No chips or cracks.

Size: 7 cm height x 13 cm in diameter.

Shipping included.

An enchanting tea bowl with painted plum blossoms. The blossoms appears to be of the "un-ryu" species which translates as "flying dragon" in English. Grounded and weighty in construction, the innocent and playful drawings on the outer surface of this tea bowl make for a well-balanced composition.

In excellent condition, this piece measure 4.7 inches in diameter (12 cm) and stands 4 inches tall (10 cm). It features a signature in the clay of the pedestal (unknown potter)...

A refined and elegant work of Hagi-ware done by a master potter who is not only a direct descent of the Hagi forebears, but who also credited with having revive the tradition when it fell out of practice. This piece features a well-formed kodai (foot), an exceptionally nice Hagi glaze and several “ishi-haze” or marks from small stones that partially explode in the kiln...

Wonderful hand-shaped Shino Chawan by great To-en Miyamura, made around 1935, enclosed in its origninally signed and sealed wooden box. Smooth and very aesthetic Shino glaze and a true wabi-sabi aura.

No chips or cracks. Impressive feeling holding this big tea bowl in your hands.

Size: 8,5 cm height x 11,5 cm in diameter.

Shipping included.

Judging by the tomobako, the shifuku, and the patina of the bowl, this piece was likely fired in early Showa (1926 - 1936) when Sosen was thought to be most active.

Perfectly formed and resting firmly on a well-grounded kodai (foot/ pedestal), this chawan is vivid, light in the hand, and has a calming presence. The artist, Asao Sosen (1897 - 1978), was known for making chagama furo (Japanese ornamental brazier used in tea ceremony) as well as “Unge” stoneware of various forms...

This striking chawan is a fine example of “Oni Shino” (carbon trap and natural ash glazing) that Tsukigata is so well-known for. Coining the term in the mid-50’s after countless failed experiments—which ultimately culminated in the discovery of this unique style of pottery—“Oni” translates roughly to demon or ogre...

This is a wonderful vintage Japanese Raku style tea cup of Ohi ware, which was made about 50-60 years ago. The seal of 'Ohi' is stamped on the bottom. This tea cup has an amazing amber glaze.

The original wooden box is also included.

Ohi ware has become well known for its use of Ame-gusuri, or amber glaze. Being a Raku style, it was low-fired and is quite light and soft in the hands...

Vintage Japanese Tea Bowl of Kyo ware with laquered wooden box. This tea bowl was made around 50 years ago. The inside of the bowl is covered with gold glaze. Very rare.

Size: 7,7 cm height x 10,8 cm in diameter.

Shipping included.

We present a stunning Japanese tea bowl made 80 years ago by the legendary 9th Choraku Ohi (1901-1986), enclosed in its originally signed and sealed wooden box. Aesthetic highlight is the perfect kintsugi gold repair, which makes this tea bowl to a unique treasure. Highly recommended for sophisticated collections.

The Ninth Chozaemon was the son of the Eigth Chozaemon who had been making tea utencils from age sixteen until his death at age eighty-six...

Done in the Annan style which is a Japanese adaptation of porcelain-wares imported from a region of ancient Imperial China (now part of Vietnam) from the late Muromachi period (1392 - 1573). At the time this type of pottery was hugely popular among tea devotees and this enthusiasm continues into the modern day. The scene portrayed on the tea bowl is the classic image of the “shichikenjin” or the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.

Although reports vary, it is generally thought that...

This extraordinary mizusashi is a fine example of Oni Shino (carbon trap and natural ash glazing) that Tsukigata is so well-known for. Coining the term in the mid-50’s after countless failed experiments—which ultimately culminated in the discovery of this unique style of pottery—“Oni” translates roughly to demon or ogre. Fired at extreme temperatures for days in an anagama kiln, the iron in the clay and in the glaze fuse, drip, and coalesce—while at the same time blending with the mo...

The image of the brush-drawn circle, known most commonly as the “enso” of Japanese Buddhism, has long been a symbol of strength, elegance, and the simultaneous being and nonbeing (mu) of the universe. A closed enso is associated with the idea of perfection while an open enso represents movement, fluidity, and attainment in the corporeal world. In this composition by veteran Mino potter Takuzo Mizuno, we can see an open enso done in thick feldsparic glaze on a classic background of nezumi Shi...

A superbly well balanced Kuro Raku Chawan made by one of the few masters of this genre, Ogawa Choraku (1912-1991), second heir to the Choraku lineage of Raku potters.

The founder of the Choraku lineage studied under Keinyu (11th Raku) and Konyu (12th Raku) of the Raku Kichizaemon family, and in 1904 with the support of Konyu, founded his own kiln in Kyoto. He received the name Choraku in 1906 by Choyuken, the head of a very influential tea ceremony association.

There ar...