181. Red raku-style hira chawan (low, flat teabowl)

181. Red raku-style hira chawan 平茶碗  (low, flat teabowl)

Red clay; spots of white with colors from wood-firing. Weight: 176 g (6 oz). Width of rim (maximum width): 11.3 cm (4-1/2 in). Height: 4.4 cm (1-3/4 in).

This is classified as a hira chawan 平茶碗 or flat teabowl.

It sits on the foot ring. The foot ring is a rough circle 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in) in diameter and 0.5 cm (3/16 in) high. The interior of the foot ring shows a spiral cut mark; the center is only slightly lower than the walls of the foot ring. Above the foot, the walls extended outward at a low angle in a slightly convex line to the maximum diameter, about 1.2 cm (1/2 in) above the base. In this portion of the bowl, there are several gouges from the shaping tool. From the break the walls rise vertically to the rim. The central portion of this space has been curved inward to form a concave groove around the circumference, forming a place to hold the cup. Below and above this groove the walls are slightly convex. To either side of the group of white spots on the “front” of the bowl, a series of six (to the left) and eight (to the right) lines slanting from left to right were cut into the walls of the bowl.  On the exterior wall opposite the group of white spots, there is a large dent, perhaps a remnant of the tongs used to remove the pot from the kiln while it was still hot. The surface of this combines smoothness and texture—smooth where the ash glazing left a glossy surface and rough where the walls were cut.

This was fired using a raku-style process, leaving a glossy sheen on all surfaces of the pot. There are eight white splotches on the exterior wall of the bowl. Carbon capture darkened one area on the exterior. The clay also appears to have contained enough iron that the surface is spotted with black dots.

The bowl came wrapped in a tattered silk scarf inside an old wooden box. The exterior of the box was reinforced as some point by gluing paper around the sides. The paper had been used as writing paper, which was pasted with the written side down when it was glued to the box. The paper has now worn away and the characters (in mirror images) are now visible. I haven’t been able to decipher them.

The characters on the lid of the box are (in four lines) 越中 (Etchū); 埴生焼 (Hanisei(?)-ware); 茶碗 X (Teabowl X); and X X. (The characters indicated here by an “X” are too cursive for my reading abilities to decipher.)

On the inside of the lid are the characters (in six lines): 此茶碗(ハ); 越中國(ノ); 礪波郡; 埴生村(ニ); 焼キX(シ)物; 也

Oddly this is mostly classical Chinese, with some Japanese pointing (the katakana in parentheses above). It translates as “This teabowl is an object fired in Hanisei Village, Tonami District, Etchū Province”.  Etchū Province is modern Toyama Prefecture; the province officially ended in 1871, although apparently the name was still used a geographic designation for many years thereafter. Tonami is now a city of about 50,000 people. I do not know the pronunciation of the village name. Given the area, there could well be a local dialect in which the name would have a unique pronunciation. The name literally means “the village born of clay”—so it may be a descriptive rather than an actual name. In traditional times, the area was a major ceramics center, but less so now. So a bit of a mystery here.

The seller listed this as “red raku,” and since he knows much more about Japanese pottery than I do, I accept his characterization. Whatever it is and whatever its provenance, it is a great piece. It’s well-balanced and a pleasure to hold.

Purchased from Treasures of Old Times in Bangkok in 2021.