This unglazed Bizen-yaki Chaire (茶入 - tea container) is made in the classic apple (文琳 - bunrin) shape and has a heshizuku (瓶子づく - sake bottle) style lid. The unglazed, fine-grained Bizen clay is decorated with a hidasuki (火襷) pattern. This traditional decoration is created when the potter wraps rice straw around a piece before placing it into the kiln, where the alkalines in the straw react with iron in the clay body to produce these striking scarlet burn marks.

The chaire was made by Kimura Tōhō (木村陶峰) and comes paired with a grey silk brocade pouch (仕覆 - shifuku) with a purple drawstring, and its original kiribako (桐箱 - wooden paulownia box).

Chaire (茶入 - tea container), pronounced cha-ee-reh or chai-reh, are ceramic vessels used to hold high-grade matcha used to make koicha (thick tea). They are some of the most highly-regarded tea ceremony utensils. Chaire lids are typically coated with gold or silver leaf on the underside, which was thought to be a pure material that would discolour when it came into contact with poison, thus protecting one from drinking poisoned tea. Chaire are also paired with a custom-made silk brocade pouch (仕覆 - shifuku) that is tied tightly with a drawstring.

Dimensions:

6.2cm (2.4in) - width
7.1cm (2.8in) - height

Condition: Good (has a chip on its lip, please see photos)

This vintage Japanese item ships from the United States.