Freshwater Jar (Mizusashi) in the Shape of a Seed Jar (Tane-tsubo)

During the last decades of the Muromachi period, the custom of holding tea gatherings gradually spread beyond the ruling military class to wealthy urban merchants. Murata Jukō (1423–1502) introduced Shigaraki and Bizen vessels into the tearoom, replacing the coveted imported Chinese ceramics. Takeno Jōō (1502–1555), a leading tea master of the time, also used “found” Japanese objects in his tea gatherings— some of these tea utensils were found among household wares and turned into aesthetically valuable pieces through their recontextualization. However, from the mid-16th century there were Bizen tea utensils commissioned separately from the production of ordinary household items.

This freshwater jar, made around the end of the 16th century, takes the shape of a vessel used to store seeds for planting. While it was designed to be a freshwater jar, the form is inspired by a simple household vessel. Its thick body was built up of coils of clay that were smoothed on the wheel with a spatula, with some of the coil seams remaining visible. The shape is elongated, and the jar has a wide, round mouth with a rim that is flat and thick. Two small ears are attached to the shoulder on the sides. The varied color of the body, including reddish brown, darker purplish brown and natural ash glaze areas are typical of Bizen wares and are the result of where the vessel was placed in the kiln. During the course of the firing, the objects would change color, and the flying ash would “melt” on the clay surface, creating a glaze-like effect. A star-shaped maker’s mark is incised into the shoulder on the right side on the back and on the underside as well. These markings are unique to Bizen ware. They were applied by the makers during the production process, so that the potters could identify their pieces after the firing in the large communal kilns.