Golden tenmoku Kyo-yaki chawan, Kyoto, Japan

Vintage tenmoku Kyo-yaki chawan from Kyoto, Japan, with gold crackle glaze. Later Meiji Period (1868-1912)

The term 'tenmoku' can refer to two things: the shape of a bowl, i.e. conical with a finger groove and flare at the lip; and a dark high-iron glaze. In this instance it refers to the shape of the bowl

You are correct in what you have written, Naomi, as it is used in Japanese ceramics for bowls imitating Chinese Jian ware from the southern Song dynasty. The term "tenmoku" is from a mountain in Zhejiang Province in China.

I am sure that this bowl was described to you as being tenmoku, as I have seen dealers stretching the term to included bowls such as yours, but originally a bowl of this shape wouldn't have been described as being tenmoku shape (it's too upright for what I understand it should be).