A Black Raku Tribute Tea Bowl by Kiraku Kizu
- Artist:
- Kiraku Kizu
- Era:
- Contemporary
- Price:
- $850
- Inquire:
- Contact gallery
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With a masterfully applied black Raku glaze and a noticeable aesthetic of austerity and stillness, this piece is what is refereed to in Japanese as an “utsushi” or what we might call in English a “tribute piece.” Such pieces are typically made by all Raku potters, regardless of the kiln and tradition, and seek to emulate famous works from the early masters over 400 years ago—in this case, a tea bowl created by the brother of the second Kichizaemon, Tanaka Somi, born sometime in the late 16th century.
The potter, Kiraku Kizu appears to be associated with Katsura Kiln, one of Kyoto’s most prolific Raku-yaki workshops, a lineage that began when the Shoraku’s established a kiln near the famous Kiyomizu temple, nestled at the foot of the eastern mountains in Kyoto. In 1945, the kiln was moved to Kameoka near Yada shrine where it remains today. While not directly associated with the famous Kyoto potting family now in its 16th generation and stretching back over 450 years, this potting lineage has been known to make rather competent Raku-ware. Unlike the historic Raku household however, they tend to produce things on more of a mass scale and much of the work they put out is a far cry from “original” Raku-ware. Occasionally though, if you search long enough you do come across pieces by this potting workshop that are exceptional, such as this black tea bowl that is not only on par with some of the best Raku-ware out there but also much more affordable than pieces by the main Raku household that tend to be one or two orders of magnitude more expensive.
In excellent condition this tea bowl is 4.3 inches in diameter (11cm) and stands 3.3 inches tall (8.5cm). It comes with a signed and sealed original box (tomobako), a protective wrapping cloth bearing Kiraku’s seal, and an insert in Japanese with details regarding the artist *** International shipping and insurance is included in the price
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