BIZEN CHAWAN BY IZURU YAMAMOTO

An unglazed stoneware tea bowl by Izuru Yamamoto, made in Bizen, Okayama. Dark ash effects sit above a reddish-brown clay body, offering a clear contrast to the green of freshly prepared matcha. The base bears an incised maker’s mark.

Yamamoto was born in 1944 and trained in sculpture before studying pottery with his father, Toshu Yamamoto. In 2012, he was recognized by Okayama Prefecture as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property for Bizen ware-making techniques.

Condition: excellent, with no chips, cracks or repairs. Supplied with an unsigned wooden box (awase-bako); the original signed box (tomobako) is not included.