A JAPANESE TEAPOT BY OTAGAKI RENGETSU

ŌTAGAKI RENGETSU (1791-1875)
EDO/MEIJI, 19TH CENTURY

The tall body applied with a bifurcated handle and a long curved spout, a faint band of key fret below the rim; decorated to one side with sprays of flowers in white slip and brown glaze, the reverse with a long poem about the joy of finding comfort in a secluded hut during the spring rain, knowing the cherry blossoms are just on the verge of blooming; the lid with a peach-shaped knop and painted with a stylised butterfly; in a fitted tomobako (wood box) inscribed Rengetsu saku, Tetsuki mizutsugi, Hyakusuke Yoshuyuki (made by Rengetsu, a handled water pourer, Hyakusuke Yoshiyuki) with two seals for Kuroda Hyakusuke, and inside the lid Rengetsu saku, Koboshi, Hyakusuke dai (made by Rengetsu, the teapot named Koboshi - 'Little Monk' - inscribed by Hyakusuke), with a red seal reading Hyakusuke; 16.8cm. (3)

Kuroda Hyakusuke (1893-1959) was a famous tea master and a renowned expert in Rengetsu's work.