This tea bowl is inscribed with a name befitting the New Year and comes with a handwritten inscription by Urasenke's Hounosai Soshu. You can use it with confidence at important tea ceremonies. The Tsukubane design is vividly depicted in five colors and gold, and the "Koma" (spinning top) motif is also painted in five colors. The New Year decorations are lavishly applied to the entire tea bowl, resulting in an elegant finish. A mark is stamped on the side of the foot. Hounosai Soshu's inscription on the inside of the lid reads "Eiraku Zo Shunpu (with a kaō - signature)," and the accompanying box has "Iroe Shunpu Chawan" (Color-painted Spring Breeze Tea Bowl) on the lid and "Zengoro Zo" (Made by Zengoro) stamped on the back. It is in good condition, with no scratches or repairs. Diameter: 11.9 cm, Height: 7.2 cm, Foot Diameter: 4.3 cm Comes with a matching box. ▢ Urasenke 15th Generation Hounosai Genshitsu (1923-2025) The 15th Grand Master of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony. Born in Kyoto in 1923, he graduated from the Faculty of Law and Economics at Doshisha University. He served in the Navy from 1943 until the end of the war. After the war, he practiced Zen at Daitoku-ji Temple under the head priest, Zuigan Zenji, and received the tonsure, taking the name Hounosai Genshu Soko Koji. In 1964, he succeeded his father, Tantansai, and was active both domestically and internationally. After retiring as Grand Master, he served as the Daisosho (Grand Master). In his later years, he used the name Genshitsu. ▢ 16th Generation Eiraku Zengoro <Sokuzen> (1917-1998) One of the Senke Jisshoku (Ten Craftsmen of the Sen Family). The eldest son of the 15th generation, Shōzen. He succeeded to the name Zengoro at the age of 18 after the sudden death of his father, Shōzen. In 1937, he built the Shiroyama kiln at the Mitsui family's villa and began full-scale pottery production. After the war, he produced many tea ceramics for the three Sen families amidst the flourishing tea ceremony world. He formed the Kyoto Traditional Ceramic Artists Association with Raku Kichizaemon (14th generation) and served as its chairman. He received the Kyoto City Cultural Merit Award and the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Award for Special Merit. 【References】 Tea Ceremony Artists' Kaō (signatures) by Eiichi Oda, Kawahara Shoten The Small Universe of the Senke Jisshoku's Craftsmanship, Sekai Bunka Publishing #Why not have your own tea utensils? #Chawan-ya Shokudo (Tea Bowl Shop Restaurant) #TeaUtensils #TeaBowl #NewYear #Hatsugama (First Tea Ceremony of the Year) #Tsukubane #Koma (Spinning Top) #TeaCeremony #Kyōan (Urasenke Headquarters) #Urasenke #Soshitsu Sen (Current Head of Urasenke) #Sen no Rikyu #Hounosai #Genshitsu #Daisosho (Grand Master) #TeaRoom #TeaCeremony #Eiraku #Sokuzen #SenkeJisshoku (Ten Craftsmen of the Sen Family) #AntiqueArt #TeaRoom #TeaCeremony #Kyoto #Chanoyu (Tea Ceremony) #Beauty #Ro (Sunken Hearth)