Japanese Chawan Tea Bowl Aka Raku Pink – Hira Chawan Summer Tea Bowl – Tomobako

📐 Features

Height: approx. 6 cm
Diameter: approx. 14.5 cm
Weight: approx. 291 g
Shape: hira-chawan 平茶碗, flat summer bowl
Style: Aka Raku 赤楽, Raku-yaki 楽焼, wabi-sabi aesthetic
Kiln / workshop: unidentified potter, artisan's signature under the bowl near the foot, calligraphic inscription inside.
Estimated period: late Shōwa 昭和 to Heisei 平成, second half of the 20th century / late 20th century
Origin: Japan, found in Osaka prefecture
Condition: Perfect vintage condition. No cracks or chips. Comes with a wooden accompanying box, not original. Box shows stains on the lid.

Description

This pink Aka Raku chawan 赤楽茶碗 is a superb Japanese matcha bowl of hirachawan 平茶碗 shape, accompanied by a wooden box but not original.

The Aka Raku 赤楽 is one of the great expressions of Raku-yaki, ceramics intimately linked to the Japanese tea ceremony, originating from Kyoto. Its rosy red glaze, soft and changing, highlights the spontaneity of the modeling and the wabi-sabi spirit.

The hira chawan 平茶碗 shape, low and open, is traditionally appreciated as a summer bowl. Its generous diameter allows the matcha to cool faster, while offering a broad, calm, and balanced presence.

The surface features a superb salmon pink enamel, nuanced with bluish gray areas and redder passages. A fine kanyū 貫入 crackle is observed over the entire glaze, forming a delicate network that brings depth, texture, and character to the bowl.

The rim, deliberately irregular, is very soft and pleasant to the touch. The foot kōdai 高台, left in light clay, has a spiral shape evoking a swirl uzumaki 渦巻 pattern, very expressive and typical of the Raku spirit.

📦 Box and signatures

A wooden box accompanies the bowl with its traditional cord, but it is an accompanying box and not the original tomobako.

The bowl bears a signature near the foot, visible on the underside, as well as an inscription inside the bowl, giving it even more charm. The inscription and signature being extremely calligraphic, the potter behind this beautiful Raku has not been identified with certainty.

🦝 Our opinion

A real crush when we stumbled upon this pink Aka Raku hirachawan! We love its subtly changing color, between pink, bluish grey and deep red! Its summer bowl shape is quite rare and makes it even more interesting! Despite a box that is not original and a potter who remains mysterious, it is clearly a piece by a talented artisan in the Raku style!

An ideal piece for matcha lovers, Japanese ceramic collectors, or wabi-sabi enthusiasts.