Black raku sake bowl (or small tea bowl?) by the 9th generation Raku Kichizaemon Ryonyu (1756-1834)
with Inkyo stamp

This small bowl wears the inkyo-in stamp (post retirement) and is about 220 years old. It is in excellent condition (no crack or repair) and will last another 200 years. The box is damaged (please see pictures).

Size: h=6.3 cm x w=7.2 cm
Color: glossy black (please excuse the blue reflection on pictures, it is definitely black, no blue at all)

Kichizaemon IX Ryonyu, born the second son of Kichizaemon VIII Chonyu, inherited the head of the household at age 15 beacuse of the poor health of his elder brother Tokunyu the eighth generation.
From that point on he led a long life crafting ceramics, until his passing at the age of 79.

Ryonyu’s style evolved through the stages of his career, and he used three main seals reflecting those stages, his pre-fire seal, mid-career seal and post-retirement seal.

While respecting and preserving the traditions and forms of his predecessors, Ryonyu evolved a distinctive style, seen particularly in his vigorous use of the spatula to trim and carve his pieces to give them a dynamic and strong sculptural presence.

Raku pottery is traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremony since as early as the 16th century.