Notable pottery from the TV show "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan"
If you have been familiar with the tea ceremony or pottery for many years, you may have been captivated by the popular TV show "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan." The show features professional experts appraising treasures brought in by viewers, and the episodes on pottery and tea ceremony utensils in particular are excellent learning materials for learning about the history of Japanese pottery and the importance of a good eye.
First off, here's a short, one-minute video that's entertaining.
Anything Appraisal Group [200 million yen bronze vessel] - YouTube
The appraiser's overall review: " A world-class treasure. It is undoubtedly a bronze artifact from the Shang Dynasty dating back approximately 3,400 years. It was a "ka" (sake container) used to hold sake. It has the basic design of three legs with two pillars and one handle. It was placed over a fire to warm sake. The requested item is made of slightly thin copper, and the taotie design that covers the entire piece is carved in a single layer and is very simple. The body where the feet are attached is simple and somewhat crude. What is most indicative of its era is the flat base. The "taotie" in the taotie design means to devour money, and "tie" means to devour food. It is a demon mask that devours all the evil in the world and protects the spirits. The carving is very powerful, and it shows the skill of the client who commissioned it. It is in extremely good condition. It is truly a miracle that a bronze artifact from the Shang period has come to fruition in this way."
1) The "Momoyama to early Edo" style centered on the tea ceremony: Shino, Oribe, Koseto, Karatsu, and Shigaraki
Shino tea bowls and old Seto tea caddies | Good luck! Nandemo Kanteidan | TV Tokyo
The appraiser's overall assessment was, " The tea bowl is worth 10,000 yen, and the tea caddy is worth 100,000 yen. The tea bowl is a fake. It's misshapen, and what's more, it has the seal of the legendary master craftsman, Eson, engraved on it. It's a fake made with great enthusiasm. The tea caddy is good. It's a Seto katatsuki tea caddy from the early Edo period. It's coated with a thick camellia glaze, a type of glaze characteristic of Seto, and then a candy glaze is poured on top to create a beautiful pattern. It must have originally been in a proper box. It was probably taken from the box and sent to a tailor for re-sealing along with the tea bowl. If it were in the original box and in good condition, this tea caddy would be worth 1 million yen."
2) The giant of Kyoto ware: Nonomura Ninsei
Nonomura Ninsei's pot | Good luck! Nandemo Kanteidan | TV Tokyo
Why attention?
It is a world where the neatness of the vessel's shape, the refinement of the design, and the neatness of the box inscription and history are what matter. The cutting of the foot, the harmony of the base and glaze, and the handwriting on the box are all important. Reference: Official episode of the program
"Nonomura Ninsei's Bowls" (broadcast March 28, 2023) -- The specific reasons why they are "modern Kyoto ware that is not Ninsei's" are carefully explained, based on the foot, the texture of the base, and the characteristics of the painting.
The appraiser's overall review: " This is a Kyoto ware bowl fired in the modern era. Nonomura Ninsei is a master of the potter's wheel, and the finished product has a paper-thin, plump texture. It does not have the rough texture of the commissioned piece. And the painting is different. The commissioned piece has a painting that is similar to Nanga or Zen painting. It is not a Ninsei painting. The inscription on the box is plausible. It has been made into a fake. There is a seal on the back, but it was put there as a kind of guarantee of the quality of the Kyoto ware."
3) Arita, Imari, Kakiemon style, and Old Kutani
Why attention?
This is a genre where the value changes depending on the firing technique, painting, and condition . We look at the clarity of the white porcelain base, the color of the gosu, the gloss and peeling of the overpainting, and the handling of the edges and kiln marks. Reference: Official episode of the program
"Kokutani Large Plate" (broadcast April 25, 2023) - A typical example that helps interpret the style and color surface composition of Ko-Kutani. Also, "Kokutani Gold Brocade Bowl" (broadcast June 13, 2023) provides clues to the painting and design.
The appraiser's overall review was, " Rather than being a fake, this is a copy of a copy. The original that inspired it is a large plate with a tortoiseshell and quail design that is in the collection of the Pola Museum of Art. If the real thing were to appear on the auction market, it would be worth 100 million yen, with a price that would rise without limit. The color of the Ko-Kutani has a profound transparency, like looking at the bottom of the deep sea. It is not a pale color like the commissioned item. It also has a reversed finish. It has the high base of a plate made in a modern ceramics workshop. However, the saving grace is that it is not gaudy."
4) Modern and contemporary master: Kitaoji Rosanjin
Three pieces of pottery by Kitaoji Rosanjin | Good Luck! Nandemo Kanteidan | TV Tokyo
Why attention?
As research into the artist has progressed, typical works are more competitive, but care must be taken when it comes to studio works and later categorizations. Check the application of the glaze, the firmness of the shape, and the neatness of the box inscription. Reference: Official episode of the program
"Three Pottery Pieces by Rosanjin Kitaoji" (broadcast August 27, 2024) -- A great episode to learn about the specifics of glaze and shape. Also, "Tea Bowls by Kanjiro Kawai" (broadcast July 18, 2023) is perfect for understanding techniques such as "dayaku" (powdering).
The appraiser's overall comment was, "This is not a work by Rosanjin. There were a lot of fakes of this kind in circulation at one time. There is a signature on the box, but it is an outrageous fake; Rosanjin's handwriting is much more elegant and profound. It was a terrible job to add the character "ro" on the back."
5) A major discovery that occurs once every few decades – the popularity of Yohen Tenmoku
Tenmoku Tea Bowl | Good Luck! Nandemo Kanteidan | TV Tokyo
Yohen is a Tenmoku tea bowl originally fired at the Jian kiln in the Southern Song dynasty in China, and only a few complete examples have survived to this day, having been brought to Japan. The 2016 episode of the program became a hot topic.
First of all, the story behind this is interesting. "He runs the restaurant "Shina Soba Tatsumi-ya" in the hotbed of local ramen (Tokushima ramen). The treasure is one of the many antiques that his great-grandfather, a skilled carpenter and antique lover, spent a fortune to purchase when he was contracted to relocate the samurai residence where the descendants of Miyoshi Nagayoshi lived during the Meiji period. Most of these were destroyed in the Great Tokushima Air Raid of 1945, but this treasure escaped because it had been stored in a materials storage area on the outskirts of the city along with miscellaneous items such as the Miyoshi family tree. After doing my own research, it seems to be an incredible treasure, but I would like to know if it is truly valuable."
The appraiser's overall comment: "This is a monumental discovery. This bowl is without a doubt a Yohen Tenmoku tea bowl, fired at the Jian kiln in Fujian Province during the Southern Song Dynasty in China in the 12th or 13th century. A considerable number of Tenmoku tea bowls were brought to Japan, but only three of them are Yohen, and all of them are National Treasures. With this newly commissioned piece, a fourth has been confirmed. The bluish rainbow-like colors rise up from the jet-black base, resembling a nebula in space. The clay is high in iron and has been fired, making it as hard as stone. The snake-eye foot has been carefully carved into a perfectly round shape, almost identical to the foot of the Inaba Tenmoku, a National Treasure. The two characters "kugyo" (offering) are carved into the center of the foot, indicating that it was once a vessel for offering food to the emperor or retired emperor. However, as time passed and the Muromachi period began, the word "kugyo" began to be carved even on vessels used by the shogun." It comes with textiles, a bentware container, and a genealogy of the Miyoshi family, and these make it clear that it is one of the Higashiyama Imperial Treasures acquired from the Ashikaga family by Miyoshi Nagayoshi, who wielded great power under Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the 13th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. If this tea bowl had been owned by Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, or Ieyasu, and had been passed down to the present day, it may have become a national treasure.
He coldly told me, "I'm not interested in pottery" and "I don't need it."
Appraisal Value Rankings | Good Luck! Nandemo Kanteidan | TV Tokyo
Looking at the appraisal value rankings, Shino tea bowls came in first in 2014.
Story: Mizushima's hobby is collecting antiques. Since his twenties, he has traveled around the country, visiting old families and acquiring masterpieces. This latest treasure was also acquired about five years ago from an old family home in Nagano. He has treasured it ever since, but last year, wanting his adorable grandchildren to enjoy tea, he gave the tea bowl to them. However, they coldly replied, "I'm not interested in pottery" and "I don't want it." If he leaves it like this, he might end up throwing it away, so he wants to prove that it is a good item so that his grandchildren will cherish it.
The appraiser's overall review: "This is undoubtedly a Shino tea bowl made during the Momoyama period. It is a high-waisted bowl with an extremely steep slope. It tapers sharply, making it an extremely unusual shape. The rim is gently shaped, with slight variations in elevation, reminiscent of a mountain path. The thick feldspar glaze has melted extremely well, allowing the Matsushima motif painted underneath to appear faintly. The katakana character "O" has been carved into the base with a spatula. This kiln mark is only found on a tea bowl bearing the inscription "Furisode" (long-sleeved kimono) in the Tokyo National Museum. This proves that this bowl is one of the pieces made at the ancient Shino kiln site in Ogaya, Kani City, Gifu Prefecture. The box is also excellent. The Nanbu Count family was famous for its dedication to the tea ceremony, led by a man named Rikyu. This tea bowl likely entered the Nanbu family during Rikyu's time. The name Atomi Gyokushi is also on the bowl, suggesting that it may have been passed on to the Atomi family as a token of appreciation or as a memento."