Incense Container Raku Ware Incense Container with Plum Blossoms by Sasaki Shōraku

The surface of this small container looks as if it had been cut with a knife: the clay was pared away in broad facets, so that edges and planes catch the light. Over this lies a sandy, rough skin in beige and delicate salmon pink, on which white plum blossoms sit on almost charcoal-gray branches. The handle of the lid is itself a small curved branch and picks up this gray.

Kōgō like this one belong to the tea ceremony, where they hold the incense at the ready. The container is intended for nerikō, kneaded incense made from finely ground fragrant materials. As the first blossom of the year, the plum is especially suited to the last cold weeks, when the tea room is still waiting for spring. Opening it reveals a surprisingly smooth core: container and lid are glazed salmon-colored on the inside, so that the rough exterior and the soft interior form a quiet contrast.

The base bears an impressed round stamp, and the inscribed wooden box likewise carries a round stamp and the signature. They name Sasaki Shōraku, whose workshop in Kameoka near Kyōto is known for Raku ware. The handmade container dates from the Shōwa period, measures 6 × 6 cm and weighs 138 g. A purple cloth is included.