A chawan by the 9th-generation Ohi Chozaemon, designated a Japan Craft Society full member and bearer of the honorific name Totsusai — given by Urasenke Grandmaster Tantansai. This amber glaze tea bowl by Ohi Chozaemon 9th generation carries the signature warmth of the Ohi tradition: a glaze of deep amber-red that glows like lacquer, a quietly irregular lip, a powerful cut at the waist. No damage, no repairs. The original signed tomobako accompanies the piece.
🔹 [ Basic Details ] • Artist: 9th-generation Ohi Chozaemon (九代 大樋長左衛門), honorific name Totsusai (陶土斎) • Ware: Ohi-yaki (大樋焼), Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture • Form: Amber-glaze chawan (飴釉茶碗) • Dimensions: Mouth approx. 10.6 cm, body diameter approx. 12 cm, height 7.9 cm, foot diameter 5.5 cm • Box: Original signed wooden box (共箱) with artist inscription and seal • Condition: No chips, no cracks, no repairs — excellent condition • Provenance: Japan Craft Society (日本工芸会) full member; awarded Tantansai Tea Culture Prize (1970); honorific name Totsusai bestowed by the 15th Urasenke grandmaster Houunsai
🔹 [ Cultural & Artistic Insight ] The Ohi lineage was founded in the 1670s under the patronage of the Maeda clan of Kaga (present-day Kanazawa), at the request of Urasenke tea master Senso Soshitsu. Ohi ware is inseparable from the Ura Senke tradition of tea. The amber glaze — rich, transparent, warm — is the defining characteristic of the school, achieved through a lead-free amber oxide formula that has been maintained across generations. The 9th generation, working under the name Totsusai, brought technical refinement and institutional recognition that placed him among the foremost tea-ware makers of the postwar era.
🔹 [ Deep-Dive Commentary ] The 9th-generation Ohi Chozaemon is widely regarded as the potter who brought the Ohi lineage to its modern height. His mastery of the amber glaze — a formula that demands precise temperature control and a deep understanding of the lead-oxide-free recipe — produced surfaces of luminous depth that earlier generations had rarely achieved with such consistency. Where 5th-generation Kanbei (the school's acknowledged revival master) established the form vocabulary, the 9th generation refined the surface to museum-level articulation.
This bowl's proportions merit attention. At 12 cm body diameter against a 7.9 cm height, it sits low and wide — a form that invites the hands to cradle rather than grip. The mouth at 10.6 cm opens generously, presenting the inner surface to the eye when the bowl is held at rest. This openness is characteristic of Ohi work intended for thick tea (koicha), where the full interior is visible in the preparation.
The foot (5.5 cm diameter) is deliberate and small relative to the body — a feature that concentrates the bowl's visual weight upward and creates a characteristic Ohi instability, a feeling of the bowl resting lightly rather than sitting planted. This quality is considered aesthetically correct in the Ura Senke context.
The tomobako is signed in the artist's own hand, with the Totsusai seal confirmed. The calligraphy on the box lid is assured and characteristic. This is a piece that can move directly into a formal tea practice or a serious collection without ceremony.
🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ] • Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days • Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking) • Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
