Vintage Japanese Tenmoku Chawan Tea Ceremony Bowl Ceramic 5.75" w/ Kiri Wood Box

This is a Vintage Japanese hand thrown Tenmoku chawan.

Height: 2.5"
Diameter: 5.75"
Seasonal Use: Summer (shallow and wide-mouthed)

Type: Tenmoku (天目) – oil-spot style with iridescent crystallization

Kiln: Unknown

Clay: White porcelain clay

Glaze: Iron-rich glaze with crystalline oil-spot (yuteki) effects; fired in reduction, yielding a dark base with a radiant band of gold and silver crystalline bursts. The fine iridescence and pitted surface suggest a complex firing cycle and oxidation interplay.

Motif: Natural abstraction – the radiating central halo and speckled rim resemble a solar corona, often described as a “galactic” or “cosmic” Tenmoku effect

Name: Not named

Artist: 道 (Dō or Michi – stamped on the footring)

Box Signed: Yes – wooden tomobako with the inscription:

掛茶碗 (Kake chawan) – Display tea bowl (often seasonal or for appreciation)

No kiln or artist name on lid (seal may indicate workshop or calligrapher)

Detail

This chawan exemplifies the oil-spot Tenmoku glaze technique (油滴天目 yuteki tenmoku), a classical Song dynasty innovation perfected in Japan during the Kamakura period and revived in the 20th century with great reverence. The iridescent cratered effect is achieved through careful cooling and high iron content.

The foot is precisely turned and shows a white swirl stamp inside the ring, indicating wheel-throwing. The single kanji 道 (Dō or Michi) is carved into the clay just outside the foot — likely the potter’s signature.

This piece is housed in a signed tomobako (presentation box), with the red seal likely identifying the calligrapher or presenter. Labeled as a 掛茶碗 (kake chawan), it may have been intended for admiration as much as use.