16. Oribe teabowls (chawan), pair

16. Oribe teabowls (chawan), pair

This was sold as a matching pair of teabowls (Japanese: 茶碗  ­chawan). Such pairs are often given as gifts to newlyweds in Japan and are called “married couple teabowls” (夫婦茶碗  meoto-jawan).  The two bowls are similar but different enough that they may be independently made pieces that were brought together as a presentation pair because of their similarities. The clays and the color of the glazes used for the ground are different. The larger pot is noticeably older and show signs of use and consequent wear. It is also smoother to the touch and more regularly shaped. These are “summer” teabowls—the walls are thinner than those in “winter” teabowls, and the walls slant outwards in a straight line to the rim, thus creating a larger surface area, characteristics that help dissipate the heat of the tea and make it more palatable on hot days.

16a. The larger bowl

Dark gray clay; cream, green, and brown glazes; the base and an irregularly shaped patch of the exterior of the bowl surrounding the base were left unglazed. Weight: 262 g (9 oz). Rim diameter: 16 cm (6-1/8 in); base diameter 5.7 cm (2-3/16 in). Height 6.2 cm (2-3/8 in).

The cream glaze is finely cracked. One edge of the bowl was dipped in green glaze, which was allowed to drip down into the bowl on the interior. There is also blister in the green glaze on the interior of the bowl, and the cream glaze of the ground shows through. The rim of the bowl and the plant decoration on the exterior of the bowl were added using a Japanese calligraphy brush and brown slip. There is what appears to be a very small maker’s mark pressed into the unglazed clay just next to the base.

The bowl shows signs of extensive use. The rim is chipped, and liquid has seeped through the crackling, discoloring the interior of the pot in some places.

16b.  The smaller bowl

Light tan clay, glazed in tan, green, and brown; the base and an irregularly shaped patch of the outer bowl surrounding the base were left unglazed. Weight: 192 g (7 oz). Rim diameter: 14 cm (5-1/2 in); base diameter: 4.7 cm (1-3/4 in).  Height: 5 cm (2 in).

The bowl of this piece is encircled with gentle ridges, more sensible to the fingers than the eyes. A groove encircling the entire bowl was incised into the exterior of the bowl about 1.3 cm (1/2 in) above the base. At five places on the exterior of the bowl, a spatula was used to gouge the body of the bowl, leaving deep indentations.  This has a yellowish-tan ground. Opposite sides of the bowl were dipped into green glaze; this was allowed to drip and form an elongated tear on the interior.  A line encircling the interior of the bowl about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) from the rim, the rim of the bowl, and decorative elements on the exterior of the bowl were added using a brush and brown slip. The green glaze forms two pictorial areas on the exterior. In one of these are painted a plant with buds and a few strands of grass. On the opposite side of the bowl are two vaguely plant-like objects; they look like chili peppers. There is what appears to be a very small maker’s mark pressed into the unglazed clay just next to the base.

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