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trusted by the tea master Sen no Rikyü son, Azuma, one of the most reticent of of kilns established along the eastern and
(1522-1591) with realizing in plastic form Koetsu's works, seems softened and de- northern fringes of Kyoto. Around 1647,
the reserved and austere wabi aesthetic he mure. The rim of the mouth is blunt and Ninsei established the Omuro kiln in the
espoused, and the responsibility of pre- describes a slow undulating movement. western part of the city at Ninnaji and be-
serving this tradition no doubt had a con- The dominant feature is the white-tinged gan to fire his ceramics, primarily tea-
strictive effect on Chojiro's successors. crackled area of glaze. AMW related vessels. Ninsei's studio was
Koetsu, on the other hand, adhered to the characterized by great versatility, produc-
aesthetic theories of his own time, espe- 256 Large storage jar for tea leaves ing objects in both large and small scales
cially those of his tea teacher Oribe; these and sometimes in styles other than the
encouraged outgoing, idiosyncratic expres- Nonomura Ninsei multi-colored enameled type exhibited
sions in clay, as seen, for example, in the (fl. mid-iyth century) here, including refined versions of the
products of the Mino kilns (cats. 242-247). h. 26.3 (io3/s) wares of other kilns such as Seto, Karatsu,
The shape oí Azuma (East, cat. 255) Edo period, and Shigaraki.
and its thick coat of black Raku glaze are mid-iyth century The angled shoulder and tall, narrow
reminiscent of the works of the third- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tokyo form of the chatsubo, or large storage jar
generation master of the Raku lineage, Important Cultural Property for tea leaves, in the collection of the
Dônyu (also known as Nonkô, 1599-1656). Agency for Cultural Affairs (cat. 256) re-
Letters from Koetsu to the Raku family, in calls that of much smaller containers used
one of which he orders clay from them, 257 Fresh water container for powdered tea in the popular katatsuki
and contemporary biographical accounts Nonomura Ninsei style. Despite the tremendous increase in
indicate that Kóetsu pursued his ceramic size, the form has lost none of its delicacy.
activities with the guidance of Jókei, the (fl. mid-i7th century) By appending the four loops at the shoul-
second-generation Raku master, and h. 14.0 (5^2) ders that are typical of chatsubo, Ninsei in-
Dônyu. The nature of this relationship Edo period, vented a composite form that he is known
probably was one less of dependence than mid-i7th century to have employed in at least two other
cross-fertilization; the revitalization of the Tokyo National Museum pieces.
Raku tradition that Donyu is credited with Most immediately striking in this
is attributable at least in part to his in- Nonomura Ninsei is regarded as the piv- work is the bold decoration. Although the
volvement with the amateur potter otal figure in the early development of multi-color enamel process was probably
Koetsu. Some of Kôetsu's most striking Kyôyaki, the ceramic wares of Kyoto, of- introduced to Japan from China, Ninsei
black bowls are characterized by their ten decorated with multi-color enamels. developed new techniques, experimenting
sharply defined profile, frequently with an His work reflected the refinement and lux- with elegant harmonies of color and deco-
outward-slanting rim and portions of the ury of Kyoto and satisfied the aesthetic re- rative motifs. These often speak less of
bowl not covered with glaze. In compari- quirements of Japan's political and China than of Japan, drawing influence
cultural elite. By the mid-seventeenth cen- from native sources such as the yamato-e
tury, Kyoyaki was being made at a number

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