Freshwater Jar (Mizusashi) with the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove”

This freshwater jar, one of a pair, depicts the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.” During the turbulent early years of China’s Western Jin dynasty (265–317), seven literati withdrew to a bamboo grove outside the capital to escape the constraints of official life and Confucian propriety. There, they drank wine, exchanged witty Daoist discourse known as qingtan, and played music and chess. Their retreat became legendary, celebrated as a timeless emblem of intellectual freedom and artistic refinement. The depiction of the “Seven Sages” on this jar reflects Edo-period Japan’s admiration for Chinese classical ideals and literati culture.