Tea caddy/ box - Earthenware

This exceptional vintage Japanese chaire tea caddy is hand-thrown by the revered Kyoto Kyo-yaki master Oketani Teiichi (桶谷定一). He is an accredited member of the Japan Art Crafts Association and Kyoto Arts and Crafts Artists Association, his works were selected for Nitten Exhibition, awarded at Kyoto Craft Exhibition, and once acquired by the Japanese Imperial Household.
The glaze follows the legendary Seikin (瀞錦) double tiger design, tracing back to ancient textile patterns unearthed from Jiangling, Hubei. The flowing amber and rust drip tenmoku glaze cascades down deep black ground, capturing the dynamism of soaring roaring tigers, a design cherished deeply in the world of Japanese tea ceremony.
This piece retains its original vintage hard material lid, matching paulownia tomobako storage box, antique silk shifuku pouch, plus the artist’s official biographical sheet and pattern description paper, the complete original set is extremely hard to come by.
Every glaze flow is one-of-a-kind, handcrafted in the classic Seto style. It is a highly coveted collectible for elite chanoyu and Japanese ceramic connoisseurs worldwide.