Tea Bowl Candy Glazed Horseback Riding Cup by Takahashi Dohachi

Width: 12.3cm Height: 9.98cm

This piece, created by Takahashi Michihachi, is a tea bowl in the shape of a horse-riding sake cup, with its generously applied glossy candy glaze and impressive high base. Below, we will introduce its appeal and historical background in detail from five perspectives.

The horse-riding sake cup shape creates a dignified appearance

A horse-riding sake cup is a type of sake cup with a high base that allowed military commanders to drink sake while on horseback, a style that originated in ancient China and Korea. This piece applies this design to a tea bowl, with a bulging body and a long, slender, trumpet-shaped base. Visually, it has the sublime quality of a Holy Grail, and when placed on a table, the entire cup appears to float in the air, creating a light and airy appearance. The rim opens slightly outward, ensuring practicality by allowing the cup to catch the fluffy foam of matcha tea.

The warm glow of the candy glaze

Ame glaze is a high-fired glaze made from feldspar that contains a lot of iron, and changes color from honey to amber through oxidation firing. This piece shows layered color changes due to the thick application, and stripes of light and dark appear as if tracing the gentle wheel marks on the body. The glaze surface has a strong glassy luster and slight crazing, which allows tea stains to soak in over time, giving it the "beauty of utility" that develops its appearance.

Paulownia crest floating in the center of the body

The front of the body features a symbolic paulownia crest painted in gosu blue in a shallow depression. This is known as an auspicious pattern that symbolizes prosperity and permanence. Beneath the amber glaze, the pattern itself sinks into a slightly dark brown color, creating a relief-like effect that gives it a three-dimensional feel that is different from the flatness of the painting.

Carved patterns and thick candy glaze

After bisque firing, a shallow pattern is carved into the body, and then iron oxide pigments are rubbed into it using a technique similar to "scraping," before a carved candy glaze is applied and fused during the final firing. The technique of controlling the thickness of the glaze without burying the pattern is the result of advanced potter's wheel and kiln-hand techniques, which allow the glaze to be applied evenly to the sides of the foot. The glaze is carefully wiped to prevent it from seeping inside the foot, achieving both safety for the tatami mat and a beautiful appearance.

History - The transformation of the Bajou cup into tea ware

The horse-riding sake cup shape originated from the Muromachi period's reverence for Chinese art and the drinking etiquette of Sengoku warlords, and was adopted into Japanese tea ceremony utensils from the Momoyama to early Edo periods. The high base emphasizes the aesthetics of metaphor, and tea masters favored the playful idea of ​​"transforming the sake cup into a tea bowl." Even today, the warm color of the candy glaze combined with the elegance of the horse-riding sake cup creates a vessel that combines formality and intimacy, making it a valuable choice for the first tea ceremony of the New Year or celebratory tea ceremonies. Takahashi Michihachi, known as a master of Kyoto ware color painting, also excelled in elevating the image of ancient pottery to a modern style, and this work is a prime example of that.

The Takahashi Dohachi family has been known as a prestigious Kyoto ware colored ware family since the late Edo period. The ninth generation master graduated from Kyoto Bunkyo Junior College, majoring in fashion design, and then went on to study molding and research at the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramic Technical College, and further solidified his technical foundation at the Kyoto Industrial Research Institute.

In 1996, he began to study pottery under his father, Dohachi Yashiro, and began making pottery in earnest.

In 2012, he took on the name of the 9th Takahashi Dohachi

His style, which combines the sense of form cultivated through clothing design with the traditional techniques of Kyoto ware, breathes new life into the Dohachika style and displays a refinement that stands out in modern tea ceremony and gallery spaces.

This tea bowl, combining the lustrous luster of the amber glaze, the dignified design of the paulownia crest, and the compact proportions of a horse-riding sake cup, is a masterpiece that exudes both a festive and warm feeling. When you pick it up, the high base rests naturally on your fingers, and the stable center of gravity gives you peace of mind. The way the green of the matcha is reflected in the amber is exceptional, and it will enrich your soul not only on special occasions, but also when used in everyday practice. We hope you will treasure it for many years to come, and enjoy the beauty of Takahashi Michihachi's outstanding sculpture as the amber glaze deepens over time.