9. MIYAKE Kihō 三宅紀保, Oribe sake-warming flask (tokkuri)

9. MIYAKE Kihō 三宅紀保, Oribe sake-warming flask (tokkuri)

Light tan clay; glazed in green, tan, and brown. Weight: 228 g (8 oz). Rim width: 4.5 cm (1-3/4 in); base diameter: 6 cm (2-3/8in). Height: 11.75 cm (4-5/8 in). 

This sake-warming flask (Japanese: 徳利  tokkuri) features a darker and a thinner green glaze than is usual for Oribe ware. The design is drawn with a brush using a brown glaze (probably an iron-rich slip). The criss-crossing lines with circles at the intersections derive from a textile pattern. To the right of this are a partial leaf shape and two sinuous lines. To the left is another partial leaf shape. The lip of the flask has been shaped into a triangle with rounded corners, Each corner can serve as a pouring spout.

This came in a wooden box, with characters in black ink and two red seal stamps on the lid. In the upper left-hand corner of the box are the two characters for Oribe written in a highly cursive form of “grass” characters.  The red stamp beneath these characters is carved in the ancient forms now commonly called “seal” characters for their use on seals and is probably the stamp of the kiln where this was made. The center row contains the characters for tokkuri. The row of characters on the left, again written in highly cursive forms, is the potter’s name. The red stamp is the potter’s seal. The seals and the signature are unique and function as stamps of authenticity. A slip of paper that came with this identifies the kiln name as Tamaki 玉樹窯 in Seto City in Aichi Prefecture and the artist's name as Miyake Kihō  三宅紀保.

Purchased at the Japan Trade Center in San Francisco in the late 1980s or early 1990s.