Great Fortune Black Raku Chawan Tea Bowl by Shibakawa Souemon
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Directory: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Stoneware: Pre 1940: Item # 1495638
Directory: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Stoneware: Pre 1940: Item # 1495638
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The Kura
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23 Murasakino Monzen-cho
Kita-ward Kyoto 603-8216
tel.81-75-201-3497
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23 Murasakino Monzen-cho
Kita-ward Kyoto 603-8216
tel.81-75-201-3497
Guest Book
$400.00
A beautiful Kuro-Raku Chawan decorated with the character Kotobuki (Great Fortune) in red by the 88 year old Hyakuhyaku-okina (Shibakawa Souemon, b. 1853). It is 11 cm (4-1/2 inches) diameter, 7.5 cm (3 inches) tall and in perfect condition, enclosed in an old wooden box.
The Shibakawa family was a prominent merchant family located in Fushimi-machi, Semba, Osaka, since the end of the Edo period. The Shibakawa family’s history dates back to around 1837 when Shinsuke Shibakawa, the grandfather, established a new business, "Mukade-ya," an importer of Western goods in Fushimi-machi, Osaka. During the era of Mataemon (the second generation) in the mid-Meiji period, the family evolved into modern entrepreneurs. In 1886, he closed the Western goods trading business but continued to manage the family’s affairs, focusing primarily on real estate. Around that time, they acquired land in Kotomura (now Kotoen, Nishinomiya City), which was still a cold, rural area with vast rice fields. In 1896, they developed an orchard there called Kotouen. In one corner of this orchard, in 1912, a unique villa with a blend of Japanese and Western architectural styles, designed by Goichi Takeda, was built. Yoshiro (the second Mataemon’s second son, 1883-1970), who inherited the family estate in 1923, reportedly requested that C.J.L. Bates, the president of Kwansei Gakuin, ensure the university was open and without fences around the campus, similar to the University of Washington in Seattle, which he saw during an inspection trip to America. Seeing the potential beyond cultivation at Kotouen, Yoshiro founded Dai Nippon Fruit Juice Co. (now Nikka Whisky) in 1934.
The Shibakawa family was a prominent merchant family located in Fushimi-machi, Semba, Osaka, since the end of the Edo period. The Shibakawa family’s history dates back to around 1837 when Shinsuke Shibakawa, the grandfather, established a new business, "Mukade-ya," an importer of Western goods in Fushimi-machi, Osaka. During the era of Mataemon (the second generation) in the mid-Meiji period, the family evolved into modern entrepreneurs. In 1886, he closed the Western goods trading business but continued to manage the family’s affairs, focusing primarily on real estate. Around that time, they acquired land in Kotomura (now Kotoen, Nishinomiya City), which was still a cold, rural area with vast rice fields. In 1896, they developed an orchard there called Kotouen. In one corner of this orchard, in 1912, a unique villa with a blend of Japanese and Western architectural styles, designed by Goichi Takeda, was built. Yoshiro (the second Mataemon’s second son, 1883-1970), who inherited the family estate in 1923, reportedly requested that C.J.L. Bates, the president of Kwansei Gakuin, ensure the university was open and without fences around the campus, similar to the University of Washington in Seattle, which he saw during an inspection trip to America. Seeing the potential beyond cultivation at Kotouen, Yoshiro founded Dai Nippon Fruit Juice Co. (now Nikka Whisky) in 1934.
