Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) Antique Japanese Tea Cup with inscribed poem and signature

Rengetsu Otagaki (1791-1875) was a Buddhist nun who is widely regarded to have been one of the greatest Japanese poets of the 19th century.
She was also a skilled potter and painter and expert calligrapher and adorned her ceramics with poems written in her unique calligraphic style.
The cup style and the the glaze is consistent with authentic Rengetsu work.

Size
Width 8cm...

A vibrant bowl in the shape of an aubergine decorated with soaring cranes and clouds by Heian Isso enclosed in the original artist signed wooden box, the inside of which is decorated with a wispy poem by friend and compatriot Otagaki Rengetsu. The bowl is large at 26 x 29.5 x 7 cm (10 x 11-1/2 x 3 inches) and is in excellent condition. This is a very interesting piece, clearly made by Isso, but the box decorated by Rengetsu, showing the depth of their friendship and artist relationship...

The bowl is 5 inches (13 cm) diameter2-1/2 inches (6 cm) tall and in fine condition. Oku yama no, Hana no Shirayuki, Nagare-kite, Haru no sue kumu, Kawazura no Sato (From Deep in the mountains, fallen petals white as snow, Flow past the village, like the last vestige of Spring). Much has been written about the life and work of poet/artist Otagaki Rengetsu...

This rare and interesting ceramic work was done by one of the most renowned and loved waka poets of the 19th century, Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875). In fact, if you look closely at the attached images, you will see her finger imprints clearly preserved in the molded clay.

Born into a Samurai family but soon after adopted by the Ōtagaki family, from the age of seven to sixteen Rengetsu was a lady in waiting at Kameoka castle where she was trained in the arts and courtly graces...

A Tea Pot by Otagaki Rengetsu with a handle like bamboo root inscribed with a poem which reads: Ko no kimi wa
medetaki fushi wo
kasane tsutsu
sue no yo nagaki
tameshi nari keri.
This translates as:
Our young bamboo
piling up happy knots
year upon year—
its tips reaching high
a paragon to us.
It is roughly 10 cm (4 inches) diameter. And comes enclosed in a wooden box annotated by Koen of Jinkoin temple, where Rengetsu lived...

A dark forest rises in a field of white, as if still covered in frost or snow, over which is draped a poem brushed in the exquisite script of the poet-nun Otagaki Rengetsu, Itsu to naki, Tokiwa no sato ha, Hototogisu shinobu hatsune ni, Uzuki wo ya shiru?
With the first cry of the Cuckoo, in this village of Tokiwa
Will the people realize, Spring has arrived?
To the extreme left, the cuckoo flies off the page...

A set of five ceramic tea cups with box used to serve sencha produced by Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875). The cups are in the form of lotus leaves and the exterior of the cups contain an inscription by Rengetsu, which generally translates: The willows, not in its disarrayed form, the branches not touching, yet branching out into the world. Age: Late 19th century. Size: diameter 2.3" height 1.5"

A pale glazed Kyo-yaki ceramic figurine of a rabbit by Takahashi Dohachi III decorated across the back with a poem by the poet-nun Otagaki Rengetsu. The poem reads:
Usagira ga Rabbits
gamanoho-iro no kegoromo wa Fur robes the color of cattails...
kamiyo nagara ni ki kae zaru ran. Remain un-changed since the age of Gods...

A Tokkuri decorated with an Otsu-e image of a sword bearer and a poem by Otagaki Rengetsu enclosed in a wooden box annotated by the head of Jinkoin Temple and titled Rengetsu-ni saku, Otsu-e Tokkuri, The poem reads:
Furi tate shi As if raising and lowering
mameshi gokoro no his true heart like a standard
hitosuji ni in one line
koyuru ka imo ni will he pass through to meet his love
Osaka no seki...

A pair of vases in the shape of old wooden well buckets (tsurube) in white glaze upon which is scrawled in beautiful grass scrip a poem by Otagaki Rengetsu...

Ota Masamitsu (Ota Gako) (1892-1975)
Nakamura Tokizo III as Shizuka Gozen
No. 7 from the shin hanga series: Leading Figures of the Modern Stage in Their Most Famous Roles (Gendai Butai Geika).
Date: 1955.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.75 x 10.75 inches.
Publisher: Banchoro. Seal at bottom margin.
Printer: Miyake Koshodo. Seal at bottom margin.
Condition: Excellent.

Charred ash deposits are baked into the side of this large Tsubo by Shigaraki Representative Otani Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Rivulets strike out from the heat blasted face, the coloring pleasing on all sides. The Tsubo is 10-1/2 inches (26 cm) diameter, 9 inches (23 cm) tall and in perfect condition.
Shiro (born 1936), of Shigaraki, was a student of Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi and Kiyomizu Kyubei...

A seminal work by Shigaraki legend Otani Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Here you will find no overt extension of the self, no insertion of ego, no attempt at distraction, only the true mastery of this artist and his ability. Absolute perfection in form shows his mastery of throwing, blemish-less surface his time spent preparing and purifying the clay, and superlative flow of natural ash his skill at placement in the kiln and the firing process...

A breathtaking sphere in oxidized blues like our gleaming blue planet with an artist performed kintsugi gold repair wrapping all the way around. It is 26 cm (10-1/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Hashimoto Tomonari was born the son of a sculptor and has felt comfortable with the processes of creation since childhood. He graduated with a masters from the Kanazawa University of Art in March 2017, then relocated to Shigaraki...

A fabulous Bizen Tane-Tsubo Seed Jar in the Momoyama style by Living National Treasure Kaneshige Toyo enclosed in a wooden box annotated by Kaneshige Kosuke. Beautiful Hi-iro flame coloring brightens the sides and a smattering of yellow flying ash clings to the shoulder about a line of waves. The tsubo is marked on the base with the fundo weight mark of Toyo. It is 23.5 cm (9 inches) tall, 20.5 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition...

One of such rare antique Hagi Chawan with wonderful milky white glaze from the 18th century, perfectly thrown and highlighted with an old gold restoration, a fantastic gintsugi (kintsugi) which makes our Hagi tea bowl even more valuable and outstanding.

Like many of the great Japanese ceramic traditions of western Japan, Hagi originated with Korean potters...

This is a very fine Japanese Satsuma shallow footed bowl. As can be seen in the images the workmanship is top level. It is 4 5/8 inches across and 1 1/2 inches tall. The piece is in excellent condition.

This is a beautiful Japanese satsuma bowl from satsuma master Yabu Meizan. The minute detail and workmanship are spectacular. The Detail in hand is finer and more impressive than what is shown in these blown up images. It displays very well but unfortunately the bowl was broken and repaired. The price for this bowl is a fraction of the price an unresstored Yabu bowl would bring. But the spectacular artistry and skill needed to to create this piece, can still surpass most Meiji era satsuma pieces...