Handcrafted Bizen ware houhin (teapot)

This is a superb, hand-crafted Bizen ware *hōhin* (teapot) by the master craftsman Mimura Tōkei, often hailed as a legendary artist. Although described as hand-crafted and signed on the box, the precision of the form is so exacting it seems as though it were measured by machine; the thin, light, and dense style is a display of mastery that brings goosebumps to the skin. Instead of the common triangular spout, it features a unique spout reminiscent of a *kyūsu*, reflecting Tōkei’s refined aesthetic sense. The lid features a yellow sesame-like glaze (*kigoma*), the front of the body shows a well-melted green sesame glaze (*midorigoma*), and the back displays a magnificent landscape created by the firing process, where black blends with *shiso* (perilla-leaf) purple—a hallmark of a master. Original signed wooden box (with two-way struts)
Diameter including spout 9.3cm × diameter 8.0cm × height including lid 6.7cm Mimura Tōkei (1885–1956) founded a pottery school in Inbe in 1913, where he dedicated himself to training potters. A master of intricate craft, Tōkei worked in styles ranging from pictorial Bizen, colored Bizen, and white Bizen, to pieces echoing ancient Bizen styles. In addition to figurines like Hotei and lions, he left behind excellent works of teaware created on the potter's wheel. Furthermore, he devised techniques for creating artificial *sangiri* and *hidasuki* firing effects.