Large Tea Bowl with Grey and Green Glazes

Like many contemporary Japanese ceramists, Tsujimura Shirō produces pottery in a variety of historic styles. This bowl was inspired by the simple bowls first imported from Korea in the 1500s; the Japanese dubbed them ido, or “deep well, ” because of their generous proportions, and they became popular for use in the tea ceremony. The potter typically covered the rough clay body with a light-colored slip (a liquid clay that can act as a glaze or paint) before applying a transparent ash glaze. Pieces of sand in the clay broke through the slip in the intense heat of the kiln, creating the mottled coloration and appealing texture that characterize this bowl.