A katatsuki-form chaire modeled after the celebrated Daimyo-meibutsu 'Hatsuhana', fired at Shoryuji Kiln. The amber and ash glazes flow and pool in complex, unrepeatable patterns across a compact, shouldered body. The silk shifuku — woven in blue-green ground with golden dragon and bird motifs — frames the vessel as it would appear before a guest in formal temae. Comes in signed tomobako.
Tags: katatsuki chaire tea caddy, japanese tea ceremony caddy, daimyo meibutsu replica, shoryuji kiln chaire, matcha caddy shifuku, formal temae tea utensil, japanese tea caddy tomobako, amber glaze tea caddy, chaire with silk pouch, japanese ceramic caddy signed
▪ ITEM DETAILS • Object: Katatsuki chaire (shoulder-form tea caddy) • Model: After Daimyo-meibutsu 大名物「初花」(Hatsuhana) • Kiln: 勝龍寺窯 (Shoryuji Kiln) • Height: approx. 8.6 cm / Diameter: approx. 7 cm • Glaze: Amber-brown over ash ground with complex flowing passages • Lid: Fitted pale disc (please confirm material before international shipping — buyer is responsible for applicable regulations) • Shifuku: Teal ground with gold dragon-bird brocade (Ryōchō-dasuki donsu) • Condition: No chips or cracks; full set in very good condition • Provenance: Signed tomobako
▪ CULTURAL CONTEXT The original 初花 (Hatsuhana — 'first flower') katatsuki is among the most storied tea caddies in Japanese history: once a treasure of the Ashikaga shoguns, later passing to Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, carrying the weight of four centuries of tea culture and political power. A writing in its name does not claim that inheritance — it participates in the long conversation about what that original vessel meant. The katatsuki form, with its characteristic squared-off shoulders, signals the precise posture of formal tea: erect, contained, unhurried.
▪ COLLECTOR'S NOTE Shoryuji Kiln (勝龍寺窯) takes its name from Shoryuji Castle in Nagaokakyo, Kyoto Prefecture — a site with its own place in the history of the Sengoku period. The amber-to-ash glaze movement on this piece creates a landscape quality on the surface: dark passages pooling at the shoulder, lighter tones breaking through below, the whole surface alive without striving. The Ryōchō brocade shifuku — in teal ground with interlocking gold pattern — is a formal pairing appropriate to the prestige of the Hatsuhana reference.
🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ] • Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days • Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking) • Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
