Jar with three horizontal grooves, everted mouth and ovoid body

Collection NumberA001013
TitleJar with three horizontal grooves, everted mouth and ovoid body
DateHeian period, 12th century
Artist, Kiln, Workshop常滑窯 Tokoname ware
Name of prefectures & citiesAichi prefecture, Japan
Description of works【A typical Tokoname jar, but the intent behind the decoration is a mystery】
In the final years of the Heian period in the 12th century CE, potters produced tableware such as small bowls and plates distributed only to nearby areas, as well as the pottery which epitomized the ceramics of medieval Japan — tsubo (narrow-mouthed jars), kame (wide-mouthed jars), and hachi (bowls). These three types of ceramics were mass-produced at specific sites and were widely distributed.
The Tokoname Kilns, which inherited the techniques of the Sanage Kilns, also produced these three types. This piece is one of the three — tsubo. It is called sankinko, as it has three stripes (sankin) from the shoulder to its body, and it is representative of Tokoname’s 12th century narrow-mouthed jars. There are many theories as to what the three stripes represent, including Buddhist thought, the shape of a wooden product, patterns on Chinese ceramics, or the shape of a metal vessel.

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