Calligraphy on chawan box

[PietroParis]

Hi All,

 

First of all, let me apologize for using again this section for a non-sword-related question. I have just received a vintage chawan (see this post) and I would love to know what the calligraphy on the box means:

 

 

The maker is one Kato Kageaki, who was 12th of the Kato line. I can indeed distinguish a 12 in the third and fourth characters ( += ) of the top-left writing, but that's it for what concerns my Japanese skills... Can one of the ever-helpful members of this forum let me know about the rest?

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Cheers, Pietro

[Nobody]

志野茶盌 – Shino chawan

陶祖十二代　景秋作 – The 12^th from the founder, Kageaki made

[PietroParis]

Thanks so much Nobody-san!!!

[PietroParis]

Apologies for tapping once again this forum's boundless knowledge for a non-sword question. I bought another chawan on eBay and I would like to figure out what is written on the box. Am I right in finding the calligraphy a bit sloppy? The one on the other box above looked more "flowing".

 

 

The maker of the bowl is one Kodaka Seiho, who was born in 1923 and lives (or lived?) in Hagi. I would then expect that the kanji on the box read something like "Hagi-yaki chawan", and then some variation of the potter's name.

 

Now, for "Hagi-yaki" I found this: 萩焼. The second kanji on the rightmost column of my box could be 焼, but the first looks nothing like 萩 to me. Maybe it is a different style of pottery?

 

Concerning "chawan", Moriyama-san read the kanji on my other box above as 茶盌. Another possible combination appears to be 茶碗. This time, the first kanji in the middle column of my box might well be 茶 (tea), and indeed it looks similar to the one on the other box. However, to my untrained eye the second kanji resembles neither 盌 nor 碗. Is there a third possible kanji for "bowl"?

 

Finally, I have no idea of the kanji in the leftmost column, which I guess should read either "Kodaka" or "Seiho".

 

Thanks in advance for your trouble!

 

Cheers, Pietro

 

EDIT:  upon further consideration, I'm now suspecting that the middle column does read 茶盌.

 

[ROKUJURO]

Pietro,

the first KANJI in the left column looks like SEI (or MASA).

[PietroParis]

Thank you Jean! Starting from the kanji that you suggest, 正, the variant of the name "Seiho" that looks more compatible (or less incompatible) with the writing of my box is 正歩. Lo and behold, a google image search for "正歩 萩焼" took me to a website where I could find other bowls and boxes that look like mine. For example, this one:

 

And this one:

 

 

It looks like we are on the right track...

[Bugyotsuji]

If it helps, I see something like 正博 on the left, but it could be 正峰 as in the seal...?

[PietroParis]

Hi Piers, thanks for your help! Indeed, in the website that I found with the google search the potter's name is written  小高 正峰 (Kodaka Seihou). With the spelling "Seihou", I found another example:

 

 

I am still a bit confused because in all of the boxes the leftmost column appears to be made of three kanji, not just two. Also, do you think that the first kanji of the rightmost column can really be 萩 ?

 

Anyway, I am reassured to see that all three examples I found online cost around $100, whereas I paid mine $12.50 (alas, plus $26.50 shipping). I hope that there will be no hidden defects or extortionary custom charges...

 

BTW, more photos of my bowl can be found here.

[Bugyotsuji]

Pietro, it says you can ask things, so why not ask for a translation of the writing?

Quote: "work by Kodaka Seiho

Size(mm): 125 x 93.5

Described in the photos. about the sizes of the other part, please ask."

[SteveM]

萩焼

茶盌

正峰造

 

Hagiyaki

Chawan

Seihou tzukuru (zō)

[PietroParis]

Thanks a lot Steve (and Jean and Piers), I guess this closes the matter. I hope some day I'll learn enough Japanese calligraphy to be able to see 峰造 in the second and third kanji of the leftmost column...

[SteveM]

I agree, its not a very convincing 峰. 

 

I am open to other alternatives, but considering the artist and the seal...I don't know what else it could be. 

[PietroParis]

My bowl was shipped from Japan on Monday with FedEx and arrived in Paris yesterday (Wednedsay) in the morning. Not bad at all, at least the high shipping charges were well justified...

 

Googling "正峰 萩焼" I could find many more examples from the same potter, including an earlier sale of the same bowl on yahoo Japan. It was sold for 4030 JPY (including taxes, but not shipping?) so at least I did not overpay.

 

Incidentally, this purchase serves as a cautionary tale about lighting in sellers' pictures. These two are from the yahoo and eBay sales, respectively:

 

Whereas I just took this one in natural daylight:

 

 

I still like the bowl and I look forward to drinking tea from it, but it is so much darker and "browner" in hand than in the pictures that at first I thought I had been shipped the wrong one!

 

Cheers, Pietro

[PietroParis]

P.S. the box contained also this leaflet. I am not asking for a full translation, but is there anything that I should absolutely know? (like, it turns into a nasty gremlin – or maybe a tanuki – if used after midnight