Kiyomizu-yaki Dragonfly Tea Bowl Autumn Grass by Ogura Torasuke

Experience Authentic Japan Art with this Kiyomizu-yaki Tea Bowl. This Dragonfly Tonbo Matcha Bowl serves as a Japanese Tea Ceremony Bowl and Autumn Season Gift, featuring Delicate Brushwork Dragonfly Motif and White Glaze Autumn Grass Painting—a must-have for any Wabi Tea Collector. This Signed Chawan Japan presents the Kachi-mushi Victory Insect Symbol as a Japanese Art Gift that brings the autumnal meadow into the tea room.

🔹 [ Basic Details ]
• Artist: Ogura Torasuke (小倉寅介)
• Technique: Kiyomizu-yaki (Kyoto overglaze enamel) — white glaze base with polychrome brushwork of dragonflies and autumn grasses in red, green, and gold
• Era: 20th century
• Origin: Kyoto, Japan (Kiyomizu)
• Dimensions: Approx. Diameter 12 cm, Height 8 cm
• Box: Shared wooden box (共箱) inscribed "蜻蛉茶碗" with artist seal
• Condition: No chips or cracks; brushwork vivid and intact

🔹 [ Cultural & Artistic Insight ]
The dragonfly (蜻蛉, tonbo) carries a specific layer of meaning in Japanese culture — it is called kachi-mushi (勝ち虫), the winning insect, because it only moves forward and never retreats. This association with decisive forward movement made it a favored motif among warriors, and it later entered the broader cultural vocabulary as a symbol of success, perseverance, and the sharp clarity of late summer and autumn.

On this bowl, multiple dragonflies hover above autumn grass rendered in slender brushstrokes of green and tan, with pink foot ring echoing the warmth of the season. The composition encircles the bowl without a fixed front — each rotation of the vessel reveals a new arrangement of insects and grass in flight and stillness.

"They do not circle. They pass through."

🔹 [ Deep-Dive Commentary ]
Kiyomizu-yaki is the collective name for ceramics produced in the Kiyomizu district of Kyoto, a tradition stretching back to the 17th century and associated with a high level of decorative painting skill. Unlike the earthier traditions of Bizen or Shigaraki, Kiyomizu excels in pictorial ceramic art — delicate brushwork applied over a white glaze in a style that bridges painting and pottery.

Ogura Torasuke works within this tradition to produce a bowl where the dragonfly motif is handled with confident economy. The insects are painted in a few precise strokes — wing angles and body length convey flight without elaboration. The autumn grass is handled with equal restraint: tall, slender, bending at the tips as if in a breeze that the glaze has preserved.

The kachi-mushi (victory insect) tradition in Japanese visual culture stretches from the Edo-period armor decoration to Meiji lacquerware and into contemporary ceramics. By inscribing the box 蜻蛉茶碗 (dragonfly tea bowl), Torasuke places the motif's symbolic reading at the center of the object's identity.

For autumn tea gatherings — particularly in September and October when the dragonfly season peaks in Japan — this bowl is an ideal choice of seasonal utensil. Its light ground and animated surface contrast well with autumn sweets such as wagashi shaped as chestnuts or kaki.

【日本語解説】

🔹 [ 基本情報 ]
• 作家：小倉寅介
• 技法：清水焼・白釉上絵付け（蜻蛉・秋草の多色絵付け）
• 年代：20世紀
• 産地：京都・清水
• 寸法：直径約12cm、高さ約8cm（目測）
• 箱：共箱（「蜻蛉茶碗」識書・作家印）
• 状態：ヒビ・欠けなし。絵付けの発色良好

🔹 [ 文化・芸術的解説 ]
蜻蛉は「勝ち虫」として古来武家に愛された吉祥の虫です。前にしか進まない性質が、武運・勝利・前進のシンボルとされました。小倉寅介はこの蜻蛉を秋草と組み合わせて白地に軽やかに描き、茶碗全体を晩夏から秋の空気に包みました。複数の蜻蛉が茶碗を回るように配置されており、どの角度から見ても構成が完結しています。

🔹 [ 深掘り解説 ]
清水焼は17世紀に遡る京都の陶芸伝統で、絵付けの精緻さで知られます。白釉を基に上絵の具で描く技法は、陶器と絵画の境界を橋渡しする清水ならではの美学です。秋の茶事において蜻蛉茶碗を使うことは、季節感を視覚的に表現する亭主の趣向として理解されます。特に九月から十月の蜻蛉の季節には最も適した道具の一つであり、栗や柿を象った和菓子との取り合わせが美しく映えます。

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