Storage Jar
Unknown Artist
1500s
Medium
Stoneware with natural ash glaze (Shigaraki ware)
Dimensions
{"diameter":{"width":0.283},"overall":{"height":0.34}}
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift from the Collection of George Gund III
Accession Number
2015.505
About this artwork
Shigaraki ware is produced in the Shigaraki area of Shiga prefecture to the east of Kyoto in the Kansai region. The clay from Shigaraki has a warm orange color. When fired in an anagama kiln, a type of wood-fired kiln that uses the oxidization process, the free flow of air allows for the appearance of the ash and mineral glazes that characterize the works. Shigaraki storage jars like this one, a tsubo, have been popular for storing tea leaves since the Muromachi period.