A beautiful small tea bowl in classical Seto style covered with dark crawling glaze by Hirasawa Kuro enclosed in a box endorsed byKeiō Sōsa (Seisai, 1863-1937) the 12th generation head of Omotesenkei Tea School. The bowl is roughly 11.5 cm (4-1/2 inches) diameter, 8.5 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and is in excellent condition. A note inside the box indicates the tea bowl was seen by Seisai in September of Taisho 9 (1920).
Hirasawa Kurō (1772–1840) was samurai and potter active during the late Edo period. He served as a retainer of the Owari Domain in Nagoya. A practitioner of the tea ceremony, he spent his leisure time crafting tea utensils inspired by traditional styles such as Old Seto (Ko-Seto) and Karatsu. His works were characterized by a distinctive charm and came to be known as "Kurō Ware" (Kurō-yaki).
