late-19th century

Miura Ken'ya, (Japanese, 1821-1889)
Meiji era

Brown clay; white slip, iron pigment under transparent lead glaze.
H: 4.3 W: 7.8 cm
Tokyo, Japan

Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1904.429.3

The vessel shape and bold brush application are intended to evoke Korean bowls roughly brushed with white slip—the so-called hakeme effect. Such bowls found favor among devotees of matcha, the whipped green tea consumed in the tea ceremony. But in this set, the diminutive size points to another form of tea drinking: sencha , the steeped tea which became widely popular at the beginning of the Meiji era. The aphorism inscribed on the sides of each piece, "The will of the people is the will of Heaven," has just the kind of scholarly flavor the devotees of sencha admired. Such a style is unique for Ken'ya, since most of his decorations feture stereotypical Kenzan flowers and grasses.