Japanese Sake Cup: 1988 Ōhi Chōami Kaga-hai Japanese Sake Cup

1988 Ōhi Chōami Kaga-hai Japanese Sake Cup

Short Description 

Documented 1988 Kaga-hai by third-generation Ōhi Chōami, with crackled white glaze, iron-brown brushwork, pooled amber-gray glaze, signed wooden box, and artist biography.

I  Identification

II  Artist and Lineage

The cup is documented as the work of third-generation Ōhi Chōami, also identified as Nakamura Chōami, of the independent Chōami kiln in Kanazawa. This workshop is distinct from the hereditary Ōhi Chōzaemon main line. The signed tomobako and accompanying biography sheet support the attribution.

III  Physical Characteristics

IV  Inscriptions

The original box identifies the object as Kaga-hai (加賀盃), bears the cyclical date Boshin (戊辰), and states that it was made by Ōhi Chōami. In the documented career context, Boshin corresponds to 1988. The ceramic itself is not relied upon for the maker attribution.

V  Tomobako and Kiribako

The artist-inscribed wooden tomobako and folded biography sheet belong with the cup and materially strengthen both attribution and dating. They should remain permanently with the object.

VI  Provenance and Documentation

Current Tea Dogu inventory, accompanied by its original signed box and artist biography. No earlier ownership history is presently documented.

VII  Market and Availability

One documented, signed, and dated cup is available. Recommended Tea Dogu website price: $125; reasonable direct-sale range: $105–$115, with outbound shipping added by destination.

VIII  Aesthetic and Narrative

The cup balances refinement with earthy studio character. Crackled white glaze opens around an irregular pool of amber, charcoal, and translucent gray, while iron-brown rings travel around the rim. The dark, vigorously trimmed foot anchors the pale upper body and preserves the maker’s direct handling of the clay.

Small Detail  The glaze pool in the well changes from amber sparkle to smoky gray as the cup is turned in the light.

Suggested Collector Line  A documented 1988 Kaga-hai in which Chōami’s crackled white glaze and dark, vigorously trimmed foot frame a landscape-like pool of amber and gray.

Condition

The photographs show intentional irregularities, glaze pooling, surface texture, and a roughly finished foot consistent with the maker’s aesthetic. No chip, crack, restoration, or structural defect is evident in the supplied images. Confirm condition by direct examination immediately before publication or sale.

Research Sources

• Original signed tomobako and artist biography sheet accompanying SAK-012.
• Kanazawa Nakamura Memorial Museum bulletin, documenting a Nakamura Chōami Ōhi work circa 1987: https://www.kanazawa-museum.jp/nakamura/bulletin/pdf/44go.pdf
• Masuya Un’yūdō, biographical summary of Nakamura Chōami and the independent Ōhi Chōami kiln: https://masuya-sadou.com/product/k-10-0805/
• Kochūdō, biographical outline of Ōhi Chōami: https://kamadakochudou.shop-pro.jp/?pid=181295528