Splendid Ko-Karatsu Tenmoku Chawan of Momoyama Period

Here we present a real old Ko-Karatsu Tenmoku Chawan with a wonderful yobitsugi repair. It dates from the early stages of the Japanese Azushi-Momoyama Period (1573-1603).

A yobitsugi repair is not just a simple repair, it is a recreation by using laquer and some fragments of broken pottery of the same or a similar kiln. The result is a breathtaking consistency of 'landscape' (keshiki). The chawan is ready for use - tea does not leak.

A characteristic feature of the use of lacquer to repair ceramics is the fact that, in addition to the wholly practical function of restoring the fuctional usefulness of cherished ceramic artifacts, lacquer simultaneously also serves as a medium for the artistic and aesthetic transformation of the flawed object through intentional inclusion of the damage. Hence, when restoring with lacquer, the intention is not to render the damage wholly invisible, but rather to use the injury as the central element for the metamorphosis of the damaged ceramic into an object imbued with new characteristics and with an appearance that exerts a completely different effect . As a general rule, the repaired artifact acquires far higher value and enjoys greater appreciation than it had in its previously undamaged state.

The explanation for this can be found in a distinctively Japanese aesthetic perception and sensitivity which, rather than considering defects, wear associated with ageing, and imperfections in general as flaws, is able to discover a profound and touching quality in them. The roots of this mode of perception and sensitivity can be traced to the aesthetic ideals of wabi and sabi, which originated in the art of poetry and were firmly incorporated into the art of tea by the great tea masters Takeno Joo (1502–1555) and Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591).

The chawan comes with a good wood box.

Size: 2,7'' height x 4,7'' in diameter.