At the height of his power,
warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), one of the "Three Great
Unifiers" of Japan, ordered the construction of a golden tea ceremony
room at Osaka Castle. The room would become a testament to his
vast wealth and influence and, against the sensibilities of his
appointed tea master, Sen no Rikyū, would be used for political and
military discussions. Honored guests were served tea from a
glittering bowl covered with pure gold.
The story of Hideyoshi's opulent tea room is the source of inspiration
behind this yohen-kin shino tea ceremony bowl by Suzuki Tomio. After
nearly a decade of experimentation and refinement, Mr. Suzuki has
created a lustrous, golden glaze while adhering to traditional shino
making techniques. Although the components of the glaze remain
secret, the artist will concede that no precious metal is used in the
process. Unlike Hideyoshi's gold covered tea bowl, the radiant
character of yohen-kin shino is born inside the kiln.
This resplendent chawan (tea ceremony bowl) is done in yohen-kin shino
and accented with vertical lines called taté-jima - Mr. Suzuki's most
recent creative impulse. The iron content in the base glaze
affects each overlapping layer, creating a wonderful sense of depth,
rhythm and texture around the entire piece. The walls are
meticulously hand-formed with coils of light mogusa clay that lead up
to an undulating "mountain path" rim, and the weight of the bowl is
balanced perfectly on its footring.
A chawan that is a delight to hold and behold. When filled with
whipped green tea, the lustrous interior becomes a stunning panorama - like an
emerald lake at sunrise.
See Suzuki Tomio's
Hanshin Gallery exhibition for more from his 2009 collection.
A wooden presentation box will be custom made to order and signed by
the artist. Delivery time for this item is 2 weeks.
A purple fukusa (display cloth) is included.
special care instructions
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