Bellflower Kikyo Chawan - Japanese Autumn Tea Bowl with Signed Wooden Box

Experience authentic Japanese ceramic art with this Bellflower Kikyo Tea Bowl. This Autumn Flower Chawan serves as a Japanese Seasonal Matcha Bowl and Traditional Floral Pottery, featuring Seven Flowers Design and Wabi Sabi Aesthetic—a must-have for any Art Collector seeking Poetic Tea Ceremony Ware and authentic Signed Japanese Ceramics.

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🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]

• Artist: Signed (在銘) – artist name on box
• Technique: Underglaze iron painting on stoneware with ash glaze
• Era: Contemporary (Showa-Heisei period)
• Origin: Japan
• Dimensions: Diameter approx. 12 cm × Height approx. 8 cm (4.7" × 3.1")
• Box: Tomobako with artist signature and seal
• Condition: Excellent – no cracks, chips, or repairs

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🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]

This graceful chawan features the Japanese bellflower (kikyo/桔梗), one of the Seven Flowers of Autumn celebrated in Japanese poetry and art since the Man'yoshu anthology compiled in the 8th century. The soft blue-gray glaze provides a contemplative backdrop for the delicate blooms rendered in cobalt blue with olive-green leaves.

The kikyo holds deep significance in Japanese culture—its five-pointed star shape appears in numerous family crests (kamon), and the flower symbolizes unchanging love, honesty, and obedience. The design captures bellflowers at various stages of bloom, from tight buds to fully opened stars, creating a naturalistic sense of life and movement.

*"Bellflowers open to autumn skies—five-pointed stars fallen to earth, waiting to be gathered."*

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🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]

**Aki no Nanakusa**: The Seven Flowers of Autumn (秋の七草) have been celebrated in Japanese culture for over a millennium. Unlike spring's cherry blossoms, autumn flowers embody a quieter, more reflective beauty—the aesthetic of mono no aware, the bittersweet awareness of impermanence.

**Technical Qualities**: The bowl displays skilled brushwork with confident, flowing lines that capture the bellflower's delicate character. The blue-gray ash glaze creates subtle variations across the surface, while the exposed clay at the foot ring reveals the warm, iron-rich stoneware body.

**Seasonal Practice**: This bowl is ideally suited for tea gatherings from late August through October, when bellflowers bloom across Japan. Using seasonally appropriate utensils demonstrates the host's refined awareness and creates harmony between the tea room and the natural world.

**Family Crest Connection**: The bellflower appears in over a hundred Japanese family crests, including those of the Akechi and Kato clans. This historical association adds cultural depth for collectors interested in Japanese heraldry and lineage.

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]

【基本情報】
• 作家：在銘（箱書きあり）
• 技法：鉄絵、灰釉
• 時代：昭和〜平成
• 産地：日本
• 寸法：直径約12cm × 高さ約8cm
• 付属：共箱（印あり）
• 状態：良好（ヒビ・カケなし）

【解説】
本作は桔梗（キキョウ）を描いた抹茶茶碗です。桔梗は秋の七草の一つとして万葉集の時代から愛されてきた花であり、五弁の星形は多くの家紋にも採用されています。

青灰色の灰釉を背景に、呉須と鉄絵で蕾から満開まで様々な姿の桔梗が描かれ、秋の野辺を思わせる風情があります。桔梗の花言葉は「永遠の愛」「誠実」。八月下旬から十月の茶会に最適な、季節感溢れる一碗です。

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🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials