An exceptional heirloom Jian russet-streaked 'nogime tenmoku' bowl, Southern Song dynasty | 南宋 建窰兔毫禾目天目茶盞

Passed down in Japan since medieval times.

The Kuroda family collection.

自中世紀於日本傳世

黑田家舊藏

Covered with a most lustrous blue-tinged black glaze marked with mesmerising ‘hare’s fur’ streaks that falls neatly around the lower body, the current bowl ranks among the most exemplary and celebrated products of the Jianyang kilns from the Song dynasty.

The outcome of the black glazes of the tea bowls was highly unpredictable as it was dependent on the ways in which the air bubbles burst during the firing, which explains why tenmoku bowls are seen with ‘hare’s fur’ streaks, as well as oil spots, each one ranging in tone from russet brown to metallic blue. Glazes with russet-brown ‘hare’s fur’ streaks are perhaps more commonly seen and most iconic of the Jian tea bowls, but those with a metallic bluish tinge, such as the present bowl, are the most sought after as they would have dramatically contrasted against the white foam of whipped tea, and therefore further appealed to the Buddhist monks.

Heirloom, also known as densei (‘passed down’), tenmoku bowls that have been passed down from hand to hand over the centuries in Japan are highly treasured, and those that are endowed with illustrious provenances such as the current one are even more so. The tradition of densei in Japan refers to the passing down of cherished objects from one generation to the next within a lineage, which further elevates each object over time. Before entering the hands of Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, the current bowl once belonged to the renowned Kuroda family collection, which also included a yuteki tenmoku bowl that was later sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 15th September 2016, lot 707, from the Linyushranren collection.

See a similar heirloom ‘nogime tenmoku’ bowl with a superb iridescent glaze, exhibited as early as the 1960s in Tokyo and later dealt through the hands of Mayuyama & Co. Ltd, Tokyo, sold in our London rooms, 11th May 2011, lot 7.

此茶盞釉面盈潤光潔，兔毫條達纖秀，胎體厚重，其質謙素內斂，舉而不燙，茶溫久恆，釉色沉黑，注茶擊拂，起白花，便於觀色，故為鬥茶絕品，人盡惜之。

建盞黑釉耀眼，釉色變化多樣，細絲兔毫仗賴含鐵量高的釉藥於高溫下順盌流動，於冷卻過程中結晶，終成條索紋理，日人雅稱為「禾目」。釉色如本品烏黑泛藍者實為罕見，跟茶湯的純白沫餑相映成趣，尤為禪僧珍視。

日人崇重「伝世（傳世）」概念，悉心保存珍視器物，並代代相傳。此盌原為日本黑田家珍藏，現為繭山龍泉堂雅藏。黑田家族與茶道淵源甚深，曾收藏一油滴天目，其盞後入藏臨宇山人，後售於香港佳士得2016年9月15日，編號707。

可參考一禾目天目盞，釉色耀眼幻化，早於1960年代展覽於東京，後由繭山龍泉堂經手，售於倫敦蘇富比2011年5月11日，編號7。