The universe in a tea bowl: National Treasure, Tea bowl with Tenmoku oil-drop glaze
National Treasure TEA BOWL, {{Tenmoku}} glaze with silvery spots Southern Song dynasty, 12th-13th century Kiln /Jian ware (gift of SUMITOMO Group, the ATAKA Collection) Photo：六田知弘
This exquisite tea bowl was made in China during the Song dynasty (960-1279) as tea culture became popular. In Japan, the name for the tea bowl glaze includes the term “oil drop” because the countless starlike silvery spots and rainbow luster inside and outside the bowl resemble drops of oil spreading on the surface of water. Tenmoku tea bowls with silvery spots were highly prized by the Muromachi Shogunate, this one said to have once belonged to the regent Toyotomi Hidetsugu (1568-1595). This bowl later belonged to Nishi Honganji Temple, the Mitsui family of Kyoto, and the Sakai family of Wakasa, and is now a national treasure that Osaka is proud of. Its Milky Way-like sparkle even today enchants people.
| Items | Details |
|---|---|
| The Power of Osaka | The Power of the City、The Power of Art |
| Storage Facilities | The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka |
| Category | High resolution |
