Jar with four legs, horizontal and vertical ribs, ash glaze

Collection NumberA001634
TitleJar with four legs, horizontal and vertical ribs, ash glaze
DateHeian period, 9th century.
Artist, Kiln, Workshop東濃窯 East Mino ware.
Name of prefectures & citiesGifu prefecture, Japan
Description of works【Veneration of Chinese ceramics】
In the ninth century CE, the Sanage Kilns produced many works in shapes emulating China’s Tang dynasty ceramics, which were greatly favored by Japanese aristocrats. Four-footed jars such as this one mimicked the celadon ware made by the Yuezhou Kilns in Zhejiang Province, China.
This is a piece of Tono (Mino) ware, which was widely made in Tajimi City and its vicinity in Gifu Prefecture. Tono ware was produced using techniques that the potters had inherited from the Sanage Kilns, and was popular in the 10th–11th centuries CE. The Chinese originals were palm-sized and used as containers for cosmetics and perfumes. Japanese potters decided to make them much larger, often for use as cinerary urns.

PageTop