Short Description:  Hand-thrown Hagi-ware guinomi with a soft gray-white feldspathic glaze, warm exposed clay, and an incised mark probably reading “Issai.”

I. Identification

II. Artist & Lineage

The incised mark is most plausibly read “Issai,” supporting a provisional attribution to Saitō Issai of Hagidono kiln. Published marketplace records for documented Saitō Issai wares identify an Issai mark on the ceramic and Hagidono kiln on associated materials. Because SAK-016 lacks its original signed box, cloth, or certificate, the maker should be stated as probable rather than fully authenticated.

III. Physical Characteristics

This compact, relatively substantial guinomi has a deep cylindrical profile, gently tapering walls, and a deliberately irregular hand-finished rim. Horizontal throwing lines remain visible beneath the glaze. The warm buff to orange-brown clay contains scattered dark mineral inclusions, while energetic trimming marks remain across the exposed underside.

IV. Inscriptions

A two-character inscription was cut directly into the clay beside the foot. When oriented horizontally, the stroke structure is consistent with the name Issai. The reading is persuasive but not independently authenticated by a matching tomobako.

V. Tomobako/Kiribako

No original tomobako, kiribako, signed cloth, or certificate was supplied. The absence of associated documentation limits the certainty and market premium of the artist attribution.

VI. Provenance & Documentation

Known documentation consists of five photographs and recorded measurements. No earlier collection history has been provided. Attribution rests on physical examination of the ware and comparison of the incised signature with Hagi-mark resources.

VII. Market & Availability

Modern Hagi guinomi with an identified but undocumented workshop attribution occupy a modest functional and collector market. Recommended Tea Dogu asking price: $65. A reasonable selling range is $55–$62, subject to direct condition confirmation.

VIII. Aesthetic & Narrative

SAK-016 expresses the quiet material character associated with Hagi pottery. Its softly clouded feldspathic glaze allows warm clay and scattered mineral inclusions to remain visible. The irregular rim and retained throwing lines make the cup tactile and direct rather than mechanically finished.

Small Detail

A warm brown firing break near the lower wall interrupts the cool gray-white glaze and visually connects the glazed body with the exposed clay foot.

Suggested Collector Line

A quietly expressive Hagi guinomi whose clouded glaze, warm clay, and incised Issai mark preserve the direct presence of the potter’s hand.

Condition

The photographs show no obvious chip, crack, or restoration. The irregular rim, pinholes, iron spots, glaze variation, and exposed lower-body patch appear consistent with forming and firing. Final condition should be confirmed by direct examination before publication or sale.

Photographic Record