16x13x4.5 Inch Gyouzan Rectangle Bonsai Pot #374 – Inverted Flat Rim, Chop Mark

A large rectangle from the Gyouzan kiln, made by Yuuji Nakano. When his father died, Yuuji stepped in to keep the kiln firing, so the Gyouzan name continues even though the pots from the founder's own hand are now a closed set. This is a chop marked pot rather than a nail signed one, which places it in the kiln's production work rather than among the handmade pieces. That is worth saying plainly, and it is also why a pot like this is an accessible way to get a Gyouzan onto the bench.

The form is bold and the rim is an inverted flat profile, turning inward rather than flaring out. That understatement is deliberate, and it is the house character: substantial feet, corners cut on purpose, nothing soft or hurried.

At 16 by 13 inches and 4.5 inches deep this is a large pot, the scale Gyouzan is best known for and the scale most Japanese kilns avoid, since space at home there is tight and American collectors are the ones who have always wanted big trees. Four and a half inches gives real root volume, which suits a conifer or any tree carrying weight above the soil. A rectangle reads formally, so it pairs with a strong upright trunk.