A polychrome overglaze tea bowl by Rikiishi Shunji — lush grape vine motifs painted in soft greens, pinks, and blues across warm Mashiko clay. This iro-e chawan carries the authorship of a Tokyo Geidai-trained artist who chose the kilns of Mashiko as his ground. A Japanese tea ceremony bowl with handmade ceramic presence, fitted with tomobako and artist pamphlet. Vintage Japanese pottery where painterly confidence meets the quiet discipline of tea.
🔹 [ Basic Details ] • Artist: Rikiishi Shunji (力石俊二) • Technique: Iro-e (色絵) — polychrome overglaze enamel painting • Design: Budō-mon (葡萄文) — grapevine motif • Era: 1990s–2000s • Origin: Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan • Dimensions: Diameter 12.7 cm × Height 7.9 cm × Foot diameter 5.6 cm • Weight: 362 g • Box: Tomobako (共箱) with yohōsan and artist pamphlet/brochure • Seal: "俊" on foot ring • Condition: Good — pre-owned, well-preserved
🔹 [ Cultural & Artistic Insight ] Rikiishi Shunji was born in 1947 in Kanagawa Prefecture and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts (東京藝術大学), Department of Crafts — one of Japan's most rigorous training grounds for ceramic artists. He subsequently relocated to Mashiko, the pottery town made internationally known by Hamada Shōji.
Iro-e, or polychrome overglaze decoration, requires multiple firings. The base form is first glazed and fired, then painted with mineral pigments and fired again at lower temperature to fix the colors. Each layer demands precision — there is no undoing a brushstroke once the kiln has spoken.
The grape vine has moved through Japanese decorative arts for centuries — a symbol of abundance, continuity, and the intertwining of generations.
🔹 [ Deep-Dive Commentary ] The bowl's form is a classic rounded chawan — generous in the hand, with a stable foot and gently curving walls that invite the tea to settle. The warm cream tone of the Mashiko clay body provides a quiet stage for the painted narrative above.
The brushwork is unhurried and naturalistic. Green leaves spread with botanical truthfulness, brown-black branches twist and curl with the energy of living vine, and clusters of grapes rendered in soft pink and blue sit among the foliage like observations rather than decorations. This is not pattern — it is painting.
The "俊" seal on the foot ring confirms Rikiishi's hand. The accompanying pamphlet documents his artistic lineage and practice — a gesture of transparency that speaks to the seriousness with which he regards each piece.
For the collector who values the intersection of academic training and artisan practice, this bowl occupies a particular space: disciplined enough to honor tradition, free enough to breathe as art.
🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ] • Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days • Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking) • Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
