{"product_id":"502","title":"Hand-Built Shinsha Yohen Yunomi, Kiln-Transformed Copper Glaze \/ Japanese-Style Spirits Vessel by Kuze Tensei (Presumed 2nd Generation), Tensei-zo, Awara Ware Kiln, Echizen #502","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWe are pleased to present a hand-built yunomi (teacup) made at the Awara ware kiln in Awara City, Fukui Prefecture, whose box bears the inscription “Tensei-zo” (made by Tensei). Neither the box inscription nor the potter’s seal indicates a generation, but we presume it to be the work of Kuze Tensei II (the reasons are given below). The outside of the lid of the tomobako (the original box inscribed by the maker) is inscribed “Tebineri Shinsha Yohen Yunomi” (hand-built teacup, shinsha kiln transformation). The inside of the lid is inscribed “Echizen Awara-yaki Tensei-zo” (Echizen, Awara ware, made by Tensei). The cup fits comfortably in the hand at approx. 9.3 cm high and approx. 8.3 cm in rim diameter, and its glaze shows a scenery keyed to deep red. Drawing on both qualities, we propose it as a Japanese-style vessel for Western spirits (drinking vessel), for enjoying old whisky neat or with a small piece of ice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAwara ware is pottery made at a kiln in the Onsen district of Awara City, Fukui Prefecture. According to the Awara City Tourism Association, it began when the first Kuze Tensei made pottery using clay from Jingaoka, near Tojinbo, and its hallmark is a pale aqua blue produced by a glaze rich in copper. Another account states that the first generation built a kiln and began Awara ware in 1914 (Taisho 3). That account explains that malachite, a mineral rich in copper, was used as a glaze material, producing pale blue and green tones. According to the records of the Fukui Prefectural Archives, an article titled “Awara Ware, the Only One in Echizen (Part 1)” appeared in the Osaka Asahi Shimbun (Hokuriku edition) dated April 4, 1916 (Taisho 5), carrying the name of Kuze Tensei. This means the kiln was already being covered by the press shortly after it opened. The kiln was later passed down to the third generation. According to the association, however, the third generation has since passed away, and the kiln’s shop now only sells works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA reference compiling deceased artists gives the dates of the first Kuze Tensei as 1878–1933 and of the second as 1909–1987, and notes that the second further developed the Awara ware he inherited from the first. The name “Tensei” passed from the first to the second generation. Whether the third generation used this name could not be determined from the sources we were able to consult. There are three reasons we presume this piece to be the work of the second generation. First, the name “Kuze Tensei” can be verified in sources only for the first and second generations. Second, there is the condition of the tomobako. Although there are faint stains at the edges, the wood remains quite white, with little noticeable darkening from age. It seems too new to be a box made during the lifetime of the first generation, who died in 1933, so we consider it unlikely that this is his work. Third, the second generation’s dates suggest that his working life spanned most of the Showa era. All of these points are presumptions and do not establish the generation definitively. The possibility that this is the work of the third generation cannot be ruled out. Incidentally, the ceramic sculptor Kuze Kenji (1945–2020) was also born into the family of the Awara ware kiln. He served as president of Kanazawa College of Art from 2007 to 2014.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAwara ware is noted for the colors produced by glazes rich in copper. In ceramics, shinsha glaze produces a red resembling the mineral cinnabar (shinsha). Its color, however, comes not from mercury but from copper, and the red is obtained through reduction firing. Reduction firing is a method of firing with reduced oxygen in the kiln. The same copper glaze is said to develop a pale green when fired in oxidation. The pale aqua that represents Awara ware is a blue-green tone produced by copper, whereas this piece, true to the box inscription “Shinsha Yohen,” is dominated by copper red. The surface is keyed to deep red, intermingled with purplish areas and pale pink areas with a milky-white cast. Green speckles appear from the lower body to the foot and here and there across the body. Yohen (kiln transformation) refers to changes in the color and texture of a glaze caused by the flame and the conditions inside the kiln during firing. In this piece, red, purple, milky white and green coexist in a single vessel. The work of a kiln known for its copper-rich glazes appears here as a kiln transformation centered on red.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAs the box inscription states, the form is hand-built (tebineri, shaping the clay by pinching and forming it by hand). The nearly cylindrical body swells slightly in places and tapers gently toward the foot. Vertical depressions and undulations, as if pressed with fingers or a spatula, run around the entire body. Along the ridges formed at the edges of the depressions, the glaze thins, and a pale yellowish white emerges as fine vertical lines. Small depressions are dotted across the upper body, where the glaze is also thin and a lighter color shows through. The rim is thinly glazed and framed in a pale yellow-green tone. The glaze stops on the lower body, ending in a thick line. Along this edge, glaze that ran during firing has gathered into beads and hangs down toward the foot. Fine kannyu (crazing, a pattern of fine cracks in the glaze surface) can be seen where the glaze is thick near the foot. From the unglazed waist to the foot ring, pale flesh-colored clay containing fine sand grains and small black specks is visible, and the foot ring is low and stepped. Swirling trimming marks remain inside the foot ring, and the center rises slightly. On the exposed clay of the waist is impressed a square potter’s seal that reads “Awara” and “Tensei.” The interior (mikomi) is also glazed, with deep red mingling with reddish purple, dark brown and green. At the center of the bottom, the glaze has pooled into a glassy, lustrous surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePoured into this cup with a rim diameter of approx. 8.3 cm, the amber of old whisky layers over the deep red interior. The hand-built form and the kiln-transformed glaze scenery differ from piece to piece. Awara ware has been passed down at a single kiln in Awara City, Fukui Prefecture, and almost no information about it is available in English. The outside of the tomobako lid bears the inscription “Tebineri Shinsha Yohen Yunomi,” the signature “Awara-yaki” and two red seals. The inside of the lid bears the ink inscription “Echizen Awara-yaki Tensei-zo” and a round red seal. A yellow wrapping cloth stamped with a round red seal is also included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kuze Tensei (久世 天聲、presumed 2nd generation, 1909–1987)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSelected Career Highlights:\u003c\/strong\u003e [1914] The first Kuze Tensei built a kiln and began Awara ware (according to an account dating the kiln’s founding to Taisho 3); [1916] An article titled “Awara Ware, the Only One in Echizen (Part 1)” appeared in the Osaka Asahi Shimbun (Hokuriku edition); [1933] Death of the first generation. The second Kuze Tensei (1909–1987) is said to have developed the Awara ware inherited from the first; [By around 2020] The third generation, who had inherited the kiln, passed away, and the kiln’s shop now only sells works\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublic Collections: \u003c\/strong\u003eNo records of holdings in public institutions have been confirmed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate: \u003c\/strong\u003eEstimated c. 1933–1987 (the span from the first generation’s death to the second generation’s death, assuming the work is by the second generation; given how little the tomobako has aged, we consider a postwar date within this range more likely. Without specifying the generation, the range extends from the kiln’s founding in 1914 to around 2020, when the third generation’s death was reported)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition: \u003c\/strong\u003eGood (the glaze pooling and crazing are aesthetic features of the glaze)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIncluded: \u003c\/strong\u003eTomobako (outside of lid inscribed “Tebineri Shinsha Yohen Yunomi,” signed “Awara-yaki,” two red seals; inside of lid inscribed “Echizen Awara-yaki Tensei-zo,” red seal), wrapping cloth (with red seal)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedium: \u003c\/strong\u003ePottery\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions: \u003c\/strong\u003eRim diameter approx. 8.3 cm, height approx. 9.3 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease Note: \u003c\/strong\u003eAll items we offer, even those that are new and unused, were produced a very long time ago and are therefore listed as pre-owned. Items may have age-related damage; please understand and check this before considering a purchase.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Antique Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67734404858043,"sku":null,"price":25000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0652\/0510\/8923\/files\/IMG_5859_result_5e2c14da-496f-4cf8-b27d-c2e3a5c8fa0f.jpg?v=1792903674","url":"https:\/\/antiqueliquor1926.com\/en\/products\/502","provider":"Antique Liquor","version":"1.0","type":"link"}