This is a luxurious tea bowl by Eiraku Soken, the highest grade, with a stylish Ninsei-style design featuring a shell matching (kaiawase) motif, lavishly painted with overglaze enamel and gold brocade. The shells are auspiciously decorated with pine, bamboo, plum, tortoise shell patterns, and Shippo patterns. By the way, it seems that shell matching is associated with good fortune in relationships, marital harmony, and other auspicious meanings. How about using it for your first tea ceremony of the year or a spring tea gathering? With a written inscription by Urasenke's Hounsai Soshu, you can use it with confidence for important tea ceremonies. Hounsai Soshu's inscription on the inside of the lid reads "Eiraku zo kaiawase-e chawan, Kyou (with a kao - signature)", and the accompanying box has the inscription "Ninsei-sha kaiawase chawan" on the lid and "Zengoro zo" on the back. The "Eiraku" mark is stamped on the side of the foot. From the kao, it can be seen that this is an inscription from Hounsai Soshu's younger days. There are no repairs. Comes with a wooden box. Diameter 12.5cm, Height 8cm, Foot diameter 4.9cm ▢ Urasenke 15th Generation Hounsai 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 Economics, 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 Hounsai 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 went by the name Genshitsu. ▢ 16th Generation Eiraku Zengoro <Soken> (1917-1998) One of the Senke Jisshoku (Ten Artisan Families of the Senke). The eldest son of the 15th generation, Shuzen. He succeeded to the name Zengoro at the age of 18 after the sudden death of his father, Shuzen. 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 Senke schools amid the prosperity of the tea ceremony world. He formed the Kyoto Traditional Ceramic Artists Association with Raku Kichizaemon (14th generation Kakunyu) and served as its chairman. He received the Kyoto City Cultural Merit Award and the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Award for Special Merit. 【References】 Kao of Tea People, by Eiichi Oda, Kawara Shoten The Small Universe of the Senke Jisshoku's Craftsmanship, Sekai Bunka Publishing #Why not have your own tea utensils? #Chawan-ya Shokudo #Tea Utensils #Hatsugama (First Tea Ceremony of the Year) #Celebration #Tea Bowl #Kaiawase (Shell Matching) #Hatsugama (First Tea Ceremony of the Year) #Hinamatsuri (Girls' Day) #Tea Ceremony #Kyotoan #Urasenke #Sen no Rikyu #Sen Soshitsu #Hounsai #Tankokai #Tea Party #New Year's #Celebratory Tea Ceremony #Painting #Eiraku #Overglaze Enamel #Tea Ceremony #Antique Art #Kyoto #Tea #Beauty #Art #Stylish #Tea Room #Tea Seat #Tea Party