Kato Shuntai (1802-1877) Antique ORIBE pottery teabowl #5221

height: approx. 8.6cm (3 25⁄64in)
width: approx. 11.3cm (4 7⁄16in)
weight: 193g

Kato Shuntai (1802-1877)
A late Edo period ceramist from Seto. Born into the family of an Akazu potter, his childhood name was Soshiro. Excelling in ceramics from a young age, he followed in his father’s footsteps at the age of 15, beginning to create Ofukei-yaki in 1816. He is said to have received the sobriquet “Shuntai” from Nariharu Tokugawa, the 11th generation Daimyo of Owari-han (Nagoya), at the age of around 30. In response to Tamikichi Kato, a creator of Seto porcelain, Shuntai added the techniques of red painting, Shino-yaki, and Oribe-yaki to his works, and he also excelled at the Mugiwarade style, in which red, white and black designs are applied to the ceramic before baking. In Seto-yaki, there was a traditional style of pottery known as "Hongyo," and Shuntai was one of the last true craftsmen in that tradition. Signing the characters of his name in the bottom of his creations, he bragged about his position as a traditional artisan.