Yamamoto Toshu (山本陶秀), Japanese, 1906–1994

A Pair of Bizen Hatsugama Tea Bowls (備前初窯茶碗 二口)

Showa Era (1926–1989)

About the work

These two Bizen hatsugama tea bowls by Yamamoto Toshu embody the serene restraint and kiln-born vitality that define his mature work. Fired during the year’s first kiln cycle, they display the heightened tonal clarity and surface nuance associated with early firings. Each bowl shares a shallow, open profile and a gently rising foot, yet the flame has imparted individual character to both pieces. Swirls of reddish flashing, violet-brown shading, and pale gray emerge across the unglazed clay, enriched by speckling and granular textures produced by high-temperature wood firing. The rims are softly rounded for ease in use, and the trimmed bases bear Toshu’s distinctive mark. 

The pair is preserved in its original signed tomobako with cloth and insert.

Dimensions

5.8cm(h) x 12.4cm(w) and 5.4cm(h) x 12.3cm(w)

Footnote

Yamamoto Toshu was born in 1906 in Imbe, the center of Bizen ceramics, and began working with clay in 1921. He established himself independently in 1933 and deepened his practice under Kusube Yaichi from 1938. Recognized early for technical mastery and aesthetic clarity, he became a certified preserver of craft techniques in 1948 and was named an Important Intangible Cultural Property Holder of Okayama Prefecture in 1959, the same year he received the Grand Prix at the Brussels World Exposition. His works were later presented to Ise Shrine, the Imperial Household, and foreign royalty. In 1987 he was designated a Living National Treasure for Bizen ware, affirming his central role in the revival and elevation of the tradition.