Red Raku Chawan with Tomobako inscribed by Raku Kichizaemon 12th (樂吉左衞門 十二代 ), Kōnyū.
This is a red Raku chawan made by Raku Kichizaemon X (Tannyū 旦入) with a later box inscription by Raku Kichizaemon XII (Kōnyū).
The 10th-generation Raku Kichizaemon X (historically known as Raku Tannyū, 1795–1854), was active in the early 19th century. Tannyū red Raku bowls are characteristically large, robustly hand-formed and covered in a vivid vermilion (aka) glaze often splashed or dripped with dark green/black glaze accents. In general, Tannyū’s tea bowls “follow the family tradition in form, with a red Raku glaze sprinkled with black spots,” and that from 1826 onward he used the distinctive one-character “楽” (Raku) seal granted by Lord Tokugawa Harutomi