Auction introduction: Chinese goods imported to Japan, karamono, held for centuries a very special place in Japanese culture. This found expression not only in the fact that the Japanese language has this special term to denominate them, but particularly in the Japanese tradition to treat art objects with the greatest respect, to look after them, even when damaged, and to hand them down, reverentially, over centuries. Ceramics everywhere in the world started as everyday household wares and as burial goods to replicate more costly materials, but tea drinking became popular and developed into a cult in China in the Tang dynasty (618-907), certain ceramics began to acquire a status far above that of practical utensils. Tea connoisseurs began to take note of the vessels the beverage was served in, distinguished between the wares from different kilns, and expressed preferences. The appreciation of ceramics has long remained connected with ritual tea drinking, often in a Buddhist context. The superbly curated selection includes the most exceptional line-up of black tea bowls, mostly from the Jian kilns, ever to come on the market, and are endowed with some of the most prestigious provenances in Japan, including the Daikōmyō-ji, Baron Denzaburo Fujita, Masuda Takashi (Masuda Donno), and the Kuroda Family. All of these pieces have been used for ritual tea drinking for centuries in Japan, particularly the exceptional pieces from the Daikōmyō-ji, which is being deaccessioned for the first time at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.