Posted 5 months ago
kwqd
(733 items)
These yunomi are about 3.5" and 3.25" high and 3" in diameter, with hand signed tomobako and indistinctly signed bases. The glaze is a bit unusual as it stops in a rectangle at the base, which is unglazed. The substance of the glaze on these is interesting, too, an example of yuteki tenmoku which is how the dotted appearance was obtained. The exterior glaze is a dark plum color transitioning to a clear glaze on the interior which shows off the color of the clay. These yunomi are substantial, more like stoneware, which I have been looking for, as most of my recent finds have been porcelain or fine, thin ceramic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenmoku
I was told that this meoto yunomi set came from the Nara Prefecture in Japan circa 1993-1994. After some research, I think that they may have been made by the Akahada kiln, but my research is ongoing. Akahada ware is known for some distinctive painted designs in the glaze, especially of animals. I did find a few examples of subdued glazes as seen on these yunomi. This set was one of several gifts to an artist, a painter, when he first arrived in Japan. I am finding that vintage, unused meoto yunomi sets are fairly common which makes me suspect that new couples might often receive several sets as wedding presents and that they were also common gifts for other occasions, though this set is not vintage...
The link below contains an interesting and fun slideshow of the Akahada history and kiln:
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/akahada-ware-art-research-center-ritsumeikan-university/IwJSQUpb20WyKw?hl=en
Thanks for taking a look at my latest meoto yunomi set Thomas, PhilDMorris, Jenni, fortapache and Kevin!
Thanks for taking a look dav2no1!
Hi kwqd, I don't know which kiln it is, but I think glaze is a version of yuteki tenmoku (or temmoku) - yuteki means "oilspot" and it can look either finely speckled (as here) or mottled. The other main type of tenmoku glaze is youhen, which is in fine streaks - often described as "haresfoot" in English.
I have a chawan by the Chinese-Canadian potter Wayne Ngan whose glaze is very similar to the one on your yunomi :)
P.S. Tenmoku is sometimes used to describe the shape of a certain Japanese teabowl also (a V-shaped bowl with a very small base). This type of teabowl sometimes has tenmoku glaze, but not always :) Tenmoku is named after a place in China and I think the reason the bowl shape has this name, as well as the glaze, is because this shape of teabowl was the one that tea was first made in when the practice of drinking powdered tea first came from China to Japan.
Thanks for the information rhineisfine! I appreciate it. I like this set even more, now that I understand the process by which they were glazed.
No problem :) It's a beautiful, subtle finish, one that I think really grows on you. I like that the interior is left unglazed so that you can appreciate the colour of the tea against the white clay. Nice find!
Thanks Karen!
Thanks iggy!
Thanks ho2cultcha!