A Hand Hewn Wooden Bowl: Beautifully Soulful Wear Marks

early twentieth century
2 1/4" x 12", 5.5 cm x 30.5 cm

This rustic, well-used and now slightly warped wooden bowl has been hewn from one wide piece of lightweight wood.

The bowl is shallow and the surface of the bowl attests to repeated use over a long period of time.

The bowl may have been used for kneading but, although the wear marks inside the bowl indicate this, its shallowness suggests it could have served a more general use.

There is crack on the rim and there is obvious loss to the surface of the inside of the bowl, the result of use and wear. There is a katakana syllable burned into the surface of the bottom of the bowl, shown.

The foot of the bowl shows wear as does the body of the bowl and altogether this is a wonderful, everyday implement that comes to us directly from old Japan and from a time when these types of tools were used everyday.

Beautiful.