Vintage Japanese Black Chawan, Tenmoku-Style Matcha Tea Bowl, Deep Glossy Iron Glaze, Fine Crackle, Signed Foot

BLACK THAT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN

The glaze is a deep, glossy black, finely crazed like a spider's web, and it ends in a rust-orange line just above a pale, sandy foot. On that foot an artist has signed in blue and brown brush strokes. This is a vintage Japanese chawan (tea bowl) in the Tenmoku black-glaze tradition, made as a rounded bowl for matcha.

QUICK FACTS
• Type: Japanese tea bowl (茶碗, chawan) for matcha
• Form: rounded bowl shape (椀形, wan-nari) on a low, wide foot
• Glaze: deep glossy black iron glaze (天目釉, tenmoku-yū) with fine crackle
• Foot: pale, sandy unglazed stoneware with a rust-orange halo where the glaze stops
• Signature: painted on the foot in blue and brown, cursive script [artist name pending / unconfirmed]
• Kiln / maker: [unidentified]
• Height: [__] cm / [__] in | Rim diameter: [__] cm / [__] in | Foot diameter: [__] cm | Weight: [__] g | Capacity: [__] ml
• Age: vintage, [estimate, only if supported]
• Condition: [describe rim, glaze, hairlines, foot-edge glaze]

WHAT IS TENMOKU?
The word tenmoku (天目) comes from Mount Tianmu in China's Zhejiang Province. Japanese monks studying in Zen temples there brought black-glazed tea bowls home in the Kamakura period. A classic tenmoku bowl is shaped like a mortar, with a small foot and a lip that narrows slightly and then flares out. The best-known types are the oil-spot (yuteki), hare's-fur (nogime) and ash-covered (haikatsugi) glazes. In Japanese today, "tenmoku" also refers more broadly to any black-glazed ceramic, whatever its shape.

HOW THIS BOWL RELATES
This bowl uses a black iron glaze in the tenmoku spirit but takes the shape of a standard rounded matcha bowl, not the classic mortar form. We therefore describe it as Tenmoku-style. The glaze stops above the foot, leaving the lower body and foot unglazed. The tradition of leaving that area bare is also seen on classic Chinese tenmoku bowls.

WHY A BLACK BOWL?
Black frames the vivid green of whisked matcha and gives the tea ceremony a quiet, contemplative mood.

DISPLAY AND USE
Sold as a collectible display piece. The glaze composition has not been tested, so we do not recommend using it for food or drink unless you have it tested. Fine crackle can take on tea stains over time. Rinse gently and avoid soaking, dishwashers and abrasive pads.

CONDITION AND AUTHENTICITY
Sold as a vintage Japanese black-glazed chawan, [artist unconfirmed]. Crackle, glaze edges and small surface variations are part of its character. Please review all photos and ask any question before buying.