Chawan of oval shape. Raku ware (Aka-raku). Kyoto. 18th century. On the almost flat bottom the carved character: Ya Flat form (hiragata) as used in summer, with conical rising wall with strong grooves inside and outside and salmon red glaze leaving the bottom exposed. Chip at the mouth. Old wooden box with a single character on the lid, An inscription on the back of the lid dated Bunka 2 (1805), the owner's name and followed by the name of a tea master (?) Inscribed on the side of the box: chawan Rô... ... and the same two names and the same dating as on the inside of the lid. Adhesive label inscribed in ink: Aka-raku chawan and yahen (?) (probably the name of the chawan). Pouch (shifuku). The incised mark is illustrated in "Catalogue of the Morse Collection of Japanese Pottery, Reprint Tokyo 1979, p. 267 and is read "ya" here. H 5,5 cm; L 14,7 cm Provenance Private collection, Düsseldorf