A wonderful modelled Aka Raku tea bowl covered with a red and black glaze - made by legendary 12th generation Kichizaemon Kônyû (1857-1932). His childhood name was Kozaburo, later became Kicho (or, Yoshinaga). He was the eldest son of Keinyu, the eleventh generation master. In 1871, he succeeded the family business and became the generation master. In 1919 he retired and took the name as Kônyû. He enjoyed his retirement in practicing tea ceremony and writing haiku...

Exceptional and very important Edo period chawan by legendary master potter Hirasawa Kuro (1772-1840), a famous Samurai and potter who produced tea ceremony ware for the Tokugawa clan in Nagoya. His work is rare and mostly exhibited in Japanese museums.

The bowl comes with the original silk shifuku and its antique fitted lacquered box...

From our collection of Japanese Chawan with Christian Cross design: highly distorted shoe shaped (kutsugata) tea bowl with a rounded brim, made of light, coarse, unrefined Mino clay. The expertly thrown body was trimmed with a potter's knife in its lower part around the foot ring.

In the style of Seto kuro bowls this Chawan was covered with a brown glaze. On one side the sign of a Christian (Maltese) cross was left unglazed and was covered with a transparent ash glaze...