備前徳利|Sake Bottle (Tokkuri)
Unknown Artist
late 16th–early 17th century
Medium
Stoneware with natural ash glaze (Bizen ware)
Dimensions
H. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Momoyama period (1573–1615)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Accession Number
2015.300.263
Art Historical Context
This elegant sake bottle, or *tokkuri*, hails from Japan's Bizen kilns during the late 16th early 17th century within the vibrant Momoyama period (1573–1615). Crafted from sturdy stoneware and fired in wood-burning kilns, it exemplifies Bizen ware—one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns renowned for its unadorned beauty. The ash glaze, formed when rice straw ash in the kiln melts and drapes over the surface, creates subtle, earthy tones ranging from warm ochres to deep grays, highlighting the clay's natural texture and imperfections. Standing just 8⅝ inches tall, its simple, bulbous form was designed...