A Black Raku Mt Fuji Tea Bowl w/ Poetic Name “Yamazato” (Ohi IX)
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- Era:
- Contemporary
- Price:
- SOLD
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Imagine the vista of iconic Mount Fuji as you enjoy a cup of matcha from this very special tea bowl. Endorsed by the tea master of Urasenke as a master work, it was granted the poetic name “Yamazato,” yama, meaning “mountain” and zato/sato, meaning “small village.” This name carries with it the connotation of an idilic place; therefore, an apt description in English might be ‘an idilic mountain village, untouched by time and unconcerned with modernity.’
The craftsman who fashioned this piece, the 9th Ohi Chozaimon (1901-1986), is the most widely recognized and most accomplished of the now 10 generations of Ohi potters. Born in Ishikawa Prefecture at the start of the 20th century, he took up the family craft and, at the age of 26, became the head potter. Raku tea bowls made by Ohi 9 are some of the finest you will encounter, comparing favorably to even tea bowls made by the main Raku lineage in Kyoto. The lightness of the clay, the soft silky textures of the glaze, and the mastery of form are all signatures of a lifetime of excellence backed by generations of experience. The Raku tea bowl seen here is a great example of these characteristics and is rather unique in that, instead of having a design on the outside, as some Raku tea bowls do, it has an image of Mount Fuji etched into the interior wall of the vessel!
In excellent condition, this piece is 5 inches in diameter (12.8 cm) and stands 3.2 inches tall (8.1 cm). It comes with its original wood box bearing Ohi IX’s signature, a decorative protective silk cloth, and the Ohi seal clearly visible in two places on the side of the tea bowl and one on the base. As mentioned above, it also has the rare distinction of being endorsed by Hōunsai, the head tea master of Urasenke and granted the poetic name Yamazato, or “idilic mountain village.” *** International shipping and insurance included in the price.
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