SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY (1127-1279)

One of interior box lids is inscribed by Kobori Sokei (b. 1923), the head of the Enshu School of Tea. The inscription compares the present bowl to an important tea bowl named Onaga-dori, a famous Jizhou bowl known since the 17th century. This bowl is listed in the inventory of masterpieces of tea ceremony utensils, Tsuchiya Soshu Chaki Densho, which was compiled by Tsuchiya Masanao (1641-1732), the regional ruler of the feudal domain of Tsuchiura in Hitachi. Sokei also notes that the gold characters on the cover of one of the inner boxes are transcribed in the calligraphic style of Lord Korbori Enshu (1579-1647).