Three Japanese Vintage Tea Caddies by Noted Potters with Shifuku and Tomobako

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An assembled collection of three Japanese vintage Seto ware Chaires (Tea Caddies) made by well noted potters circa 1960-80s. The … Read more An assembled collection of three Japanese vintage Seto ware Chaires (Tea Caddies) made by well noted potters circa 1960-80s. The group consists of three Chaires all with silk pouches (Shifukus) and two retain its original tomobakos with inscription and one with studio note in Japanese. The first one is a Ko-Seto (Old-Seto) style tea caddy made by Takekawa Ichikawa, a well-recognized Japanese ceramicist specializing in Seto Akazu Yaki, the master of the Takekawa Kiln in the historic pottery center of Seto, Aichi Prefecture. The Chaire was made in the traditional Ko-Seto style found in Edo period. Covered in dark brown glaze with potter's grooves, the piece comes with a lid covered in gold foil underneath, another feature commonly found in Edo period piece. The second Chaire was made by Sato Kazuji (1948-) from Kogen Kiln. He is a prominent Japanese ceramic artist specializing in Mino-yaki (Mino ware), specifically the Oribe and Shino styles. The tea caddy was covered in a greenish yellow glaze and known as Ki-Seto. The lid was made in ceramic, and the base is signed "Kan" (Yasu). The Chaire comes with Shifuku without wood box. The third one is a Chaire in a rounded jar style. This specific form originated in China and known in Japan as Rikyu Marutsubo, which was highly cherished by tea master historically. Characterized by a thin ridged line circumventing the mid-body, the small jar has a dark splashed glaze typical of Seto ware and complete with a lid underlined in gold foil, it was made by Inui Nobuyuki (1948-), the head of of Shoryu-Ji kiln located in Kyoto area. This tea caddy comes with the silk Shifuku, the fully signed tomobako and two pieces of papers with notes in Japanese.
This lovely collection of Chaires was assembled by an American collector circa 1960-80s. They will make a wonderful addition to any collection of tea ceremony accessory. See less