Lot 2501. Property from The Daikomyo-ji. An exceptional heirloom Jian 'nogime tenmoku' tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) and a cinnabar lacquer 'guri' bowl stand, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); bowl d. 12.5 cm, bowl stand d. 16.3 cm, Japanese wood box. Lot Sold 2,794,000 HKD (Estimate 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Passed down in Japan since medieval times, and thereafter in the collection of the Daikomyo-ji temple.

Note: The appreciation and connoisseurship of black-glazed tea bowls from Fujian is inextricably linked with, and arguably attributed to, the homage paid to these ceramics by Japanese collectors and tea masters since the travelling Buddhist monks began bringing them back to Japan from China in the 12th - 13th centuries, and the almost universal referral of Jian black-glazed tea bowls as tenmoku is a lasting testimony of this reverence.

The current bowl, superbly covered with a viscous black glaze marked with the most mesmerising striations, would have ranked among the rarest and most celebrated tea bowls since it left the kilns in the Southern Song dynasty. Passed down in Japan over the centuries, the black glaze, with its original lustre preserved, falls neatly over the well-proportioned bowl and stops neatly above the foot to showcase the dark grey body of the vessel.

The seemingly humble appearance of Jian bowls made them particularly appropriate and popular for use in Zen Buddhist temples, where Buddhist priests prepared, imbibed, and served tea for its beneficial effects on the body and mind. The elaborate preparatory process – which involved scraping tea from a pressed cake, drying it, grinding it, putting it through a sieve, selecting the finest resulting powder, mixing it into a paste with warm water, and gradually adding additional water while simultaneously whisking it into a frothy beverage – played a central role in religious ceremonies. It also became fashionable in elite social circles. Sacred and secular enthusiasts alike sought to master the art of tea-making, with praise awarded to the person who achieved the richest froth.

A related bowl of similar proportions (d. 12.6 cm), also covered in a dark glaze marked with very fine striations, though with a stronger russet tinge around the inner and outer rims, is preserved in the National Kyoto Museum, museum no. GK221.

FOREWORD

The Daikomyo-ji Temple was originally built in Fushimi-ku in southern Kyoto city. It served as the family temple of the Fushimi-no-Miya Family since the burial of Prince Yoshihito (1351-1416), the first generation of the oldest branch of the Japanese Imperial Family. Since its construction, the Temple has been repeatedly destroyed by fire and wars, and preserved with the help of generous patrons such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-98) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616).

The Temple was unfortunately abandoned entirely in 1868 due to the anti-Buddhist movement during the Meiji Revolution. Its operations resumed five years later at the Shinge-in Temple, which is located in the centre of Kyoto city and was later integrated into the present-day Daikomyo-ji Temple. The Daikomyo-ji Temple is revered and well respected for its long history, and its successive abbots have devoted themselves to missionary work, salvation and enlightenment of sentient beings (Shujo Saido), and the propagation of Buddhist culture.

As the current abbot of the Temple, it is my obligation to ensure the history and legacy of the Temple is passed down to future generations. Therefore, it is of great urgency to construct a new residence hall (Kuri), as the existing building has survived for more than two hundred years since its construction, rendering its aged structure to become fragile and vulnerable to earthquakes of level four intensity.

The new building will serve as a peaceful and safe place for devotees and worshippers. In order to raise essential funds for the construction of the Kuri, selected artworks and tea ceremony utensils that were dutifully and carefully stored in the Temple are offered at this auction. We humbly request connoisseurs and discerning collectors to understand the purpose of this auction, and we sincerely ask for your faithful support for our cause.

September 2023
Eighteenth Abbot of The Daikomyo-ji Temple
Kendo Yano 

ABOUT THE DAIKOMYO-JI TEMPLE

The Daikomyo-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan.

Sotheby's. Karamono: Heirlooms of Chinese Art from Medieval Japan, Hong Kong, 9 October 2023