Japanese Futaoki (Lid & Ladle Rest) — Slab-Built, Iron-Painted Grasses, Copper-Red Glaze

This futaoki is a tea ceremony utensil used to rest the kettle lid (kama no futa) and the bamboo ladle (hishaku) during the preparation of tea. It is made from a single slab of clay curved into a soft teardrop loop, with the two ends pressed together and secured by a small applied clay tab, like a fastened band. The slab construction (tatara-zukuri) leaves the cut edges visible and the walls gently uneven, which suits the relaxed, handmade character favoured in tea utensils.

The body is a speckled grey-beige stoneware, with iron flecks showing through a pale glaze. Over this, grasses and slender flowering stems are brushed in iron-brown, with tall pointed blades rising from the base and round blossoms scattered between them. This kind of loose iron painting (tetsu-e) echoes the akikusa (autumn grasses) motif common in tea wares. One outer face and the interior are covered in a deep copper-red glaze that ranges from oxblood to plum where it thins at the edges. Where the decoration reaches the lower edge, it fades into a smoky grey-violet flashing from the kiln.

• Origin: Japan, studio-made tea utensil (kiln/artist unconfirmed)
• Type: Futaoki (蓋置), lid and ladle rest for tea ceremony
• Form: Slab-built teardrop loop with applied clasp-like tab
• Glaze: Speckled grey-beige glaze with copper-red interior and panel
• Decoration: Iron-brown brushwork of grasses and flowering stems
• Condition: Good secondhand condition. Unglazed cut edges show the raw clay, as made. Please see photos for any small marks