Kutani Ware Shuho Tenmoku Chawan - Gold Autumn Grass Japanese Tea Bowl

Experience authentic Japanese tea ceremony tradition with this Kutani Ware Shuho Tenmoku Chawan. This ceremonial matcha bowl serves as a functional art piece and cultural artifact, featuring gold-painted autumn grasses on deep tenmoku glaze—a must-have for any tea ceremony practitioner seeking Kutani craftsmanship and seasonal expression.

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🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]

• Artist: Shuho (秋峰)
• Technique: Tenmoku-style black glaze with kinsai (gold painting)
• Era: Contemporary (Heisei–Reiwa period)
• Origin: Kutani, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
• Dimensions: Diameter approx. 11.5 cm × Height approx. 8.3 cm (4.5" × 3.3")
• Box: Wooden box inscribed “茶碗 秋峰”
• Condition: Good – no chips or cracks, irregular rim is intentional

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🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]

This chawan carries the weight of Kutani’s four-century lineage while speaking in the vocabulary of seasonal awareness central to tea practice. The black tenmoku-style glaze—historically associated with Chinese Song dynasty masterworks—provides a dramatic ground for kinsai decoration. Shuho’s hand-painted susuki (pampas grass) and vine motifs evoke late autumn’s quiet transition, when wild grasses sway with approaching winter winds.

The intentionally irregular rim (kutsugata) represents a sophisticated aesthetic choice rooted in wabi-sabi philosophy—the deliberate embrace of asymmetry over mechanical perfection. This rim shape changes how the bowl meets the lip, creating varied tactile experiences as you rotate it during use.

*"Gold on black—autumn does not announce itself. It arrives in grass blades bending under weight we cannot see."*

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🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]

**Kutani’s Range**: Kutani ware is renowned for vivid overglaze enamels, but this piece demonstrates the tradition’s versatility—pairing restrained tenmoku darkness with strategic gold accents. The choice shows artistic confidence in simplicity.

**The Susuki Motif**: Pampas grass (susuki) carries literary and seasonal significance. It appears in classical waka poetry and Noh theater as a symbol of transience and natural beauty. Its presence situates this bowl within autumn tea gatherings.

**Kutsugata Form**: The irregular, undulating rim is not a defect but a deliberate design choice. Named after the shape of a wooden clog (kutsu), this form reflects the Momoyama-era aesthetic of finding beauty in controlled irregularity.

**Gold on Black**: The kinsai technique requires confident brushwork—each grass blade rendered with attention to natural growth patterns. The gold catches light differently as the bowl rotates, creating a dynamic visual experience during tea preparation.

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]

【基本情報】
• 作家：秋峰
• 技法：天目風黒釉 × 金彩
• 時代：現代（平成〜令和）
• 産地：石川県九谷
• 寸法：口径約11.5cm × 高さ約8.3cm
• 付属：木箱（箱書「茶碗 秋峰」）
• 状態：良好（口縁の歪みは沓形による意図的なもの）

【解説】
秋峰作の九谷焼抜茶碗です。深い黒の天目風釉の上に、金彩で秋草（すすき）と葉蔓文様が描かれています。口縁は沓形（くつがた）に成形され、左右非対称の表情が侘びの美意識を体現しています。秋の茶席にふさわしい一碗です。

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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

*Autumn grasses bend in gold on black—the season passes, but its trace remains.*