[Designated Cultural Property of Yamagata Prefecture]
Joseon Dynasty (16C)
This tea bowl is said to have come from Gyeongsang, a Joseon-era province located in the southeast of Korea, and was fired in a kiln near Busan during the 16th century. It is a reasonably large, rustic, white porcelain bowl with a four-part split foot. The rim is distorted into an oval shape, and the area just above the foot is decorated with spatula marks. In Japanese tea ceremony, this type of bowl falls under the ‘katade’ category (literally ‘solid/hard type’) in reference to the seeming hardness of the base, glaze, and overall texture.
This bowl was order-made in Korea for Japanese patrons, and was a favourite with warriors for tea ceremony use. It was acquired by who served as the first lord of the Shonai domain from 1622 to 1647, and later changed hands from the Sakai family to the Homma family.