OrientalTeabox

11/10/2026

SOLD! An Oribe Guinomi by Takauchi Shugo (高内秀剛)

10/10/2026

SOLD! A Bizen Spouted Bowl by Isezaki Mitsuru (伊勢﨑満)

10/10/2026

10/10/2026

Soft, translucent glazes and centuries of Korean-Japanese tea heritage.

A classic Showa-era Hagi ware tea bowl (萩焼茶碗) by eleventh-generation master Saka Koraizaemon XI (十一代 坂高麗左衛門). Featuring a broad, flaring form and a hand-shaped rim, the warm reddish-brown clay peeks gently through translucent, milky-white Hagi glaze that pools into subtle lavender and grey tones.

The Saka family lineage dates back to 1625, founded by Korean potter Yi Kyŏng under the patronage of the Chōshū domain. Designated an Intangible Cultural Property Holder of Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1975, Saka Koraizaemon XI was celebrated for his robust, Ido-inspired tea bowls and raw Oni-Hagi textures.

Complete with its original signed wooden box (tomobako), wrapping cloth, and documentation.

Dimensions: 8.3cm (h) x 13.5cm (w)

Period: Showa Era (1926–1989)

Origin: Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

08/10/2026

What can a wooden box tell us about a Japanese work of art? Our latest blog explores the tomobako (共箱), from inscriptions on the lid to its role in attribution, provenance and presentation. Discover why the original box can be an important part of understanding the work it accompanies. Read the full article on our website.

https://buff.ly/qJ0oC4h

08/10/2026

Fired for 7 full days in the anagama kiln of Bizen legend Mori Togaku

An extraordinary Bizen ash-glazed chawan (備前灰釉茶碗) by tea master and ceramic scholar Junzo Haga (羽賀順蔵), also known by his tea pseudonym Shohoan (少芳庵).

The box inscription reveals a remarkable provenance: this vessel was fired over seven days inside the wood-burning anagama kiln of Mori Togaku (森陶岳)—the visionary master famed for reconstructing medieval Bizen mega-kilns.

The prolonged wood fire coated the robust, hand-formed oval body in a natural tapestry of melted ash, olive green glazes, and warm reddish-brown clay, accentuated by subtle incised geometric lines. A true embodiment of wabi-sabi and tea heritage.

Complete with its original inscribed wooden box (box notation / hakogaki).

Dimensions: 10cm (h) x 14cm (w) x 11cm (d)

Origin: Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

08/10/2026

Layered glazes, earthy textures, and expressive movement in a single palm-sized form.

A colored ash glaze guinomi (彩色灰釉ぐい呑) by acclaimed Tanba ceramic artist Nobuhito Nakaoka (仲岡信人). Featuring a subtly faceted body and an organic, hand-formed rim, thick streams of cream, olive green, ochre, and charcoal glazes flow and pool over warm, iron-rich clay.

Born in 1977, Nakaoka apprenticed under master Tadashi Nishihata before establishing his kiln in Tachikui, Sasayama—the ancient heartland of Tanba ware. Recognized in the Tabe Art Museum Tea Ceramics Exhibition and Kobe Biennale, his works bring a dynamic, contemporary sculptural energy to traditional sake vessels.

Complete with its original signed wooden box (tomobako), wrapping cloth, and documentation.

Dimensions: 5.8cm (h) x 7.2cm (w)

Period: Heisei Era (1989–2019)

Origin: Tachikui, Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (Tanba Ware)

06/10/2026

Following the loss of his son Jared, ceramic artist Steven Branfman made one chawan each day for a year. The 365 tea bowls became his personal Kaddish, bringing together remembrance, ritual and his lifelong practice as a potter. The works later became the exhibition A Father’s Kaddish.

Discover Steven Branfman’s wider Raku practice at Oriental Tea Box.