Kasumi
Tajimi, in Gifu Prefecture, has been synonymous with Japanese ceramic production for over four centuries. It is the heartland of Mino ware — a tradition that gave the tea world some of its most celebrated bowl forms, from the austere Shino to the dramatically fired Oribe. A piece sourced from auction in this city carries that lineage quietly within it.
This chawan, made around 1970, reads like a study in restraint pushed to its limit. The glaze is deep brown, nearly black, broken by green speckles and slow vertical drips — effects produced by the movement of molten glaze in the kiln, unrepeatable and entirely its own. The surface is ribbed and grainy, giving the bowl a tactile presence that asks to be held rather than observed. Wide and low in form, it sits with solidity and ease.
A stamped mark on the base identifies the potter — a distinction that places this piece within the tradition of signed studio ceramics, where maker and object remain connected across decades.
The glaze shows the honest wear of age. No restoration, no intervention — the piece is as it left its last owner.
Details
- Type — Matcha chawan / tea ceremony bowl
- Origin — Japan (antique auction, Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture — historic Mino ware region)
- Period — Circa 1970, Shōwa era
- Material — Ceramic / yakimono
- Glaze & Decoration — Near-black brown with green speckle and drip glaze; ribbed surface texture
- Signature — Stamped potter's mark on base
- Dimensions — 12.5 cm × 7 cm (diameter × height)
- Weight — 252 g
- Condition — Good considering age. Natural patina and age-consistent wear throughout