TEA BOWL, Tenmoku glaze with silvery spots
Cultural Property | National Treasure |
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Date1 | Southern Song dynasty |
Date2 | 12th-13th century |
Kiln | Jian ware |
Height (cm) | 7.5 |
Mouth Diameter (cm) | 12.2 |
Weight (g) | 349 |
Collection | The ATAKA Collection |
Credit Line | The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka (gift of SUMITOMO Group, the ATAKA Collection), photograph by 〓(Please credit the name of the photographer which is indicated at the bottom left of each image) |
Accession No. | 00559 |
Description | The term tenmoku, which refers to black-glazed tea bowls in general, is said to have been derived from Mount Tianmu in northern Zhejiang Province. Yuteki (oil-spots) tenmoku tea bowls, however, were produced at the Jian kilns in Fujian Province and they are also known as Jianzhan. The name yuteki describes the gold, silver and blue iridescent spots resembling the oil drops floating on the surface of the water. They are the result of crystallization of the iron contained in the glaze. The gold band covering the mouth rim is not only for reinforcing the mouth rim but also for visual attraction. This work was brought into Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and owned by kanpaku or imperial regent Toyotomi Hidetsugu (1568-1595), which was later handed down through the Nishihonganji temple, the Mitsui Family of Kyoto and the Sakai Family of Wakasa Province (present-day Fukui Prefecture). Three lacquer trays from the Southern Song dynasty accompany this bowl. |