Houjuin, Hanaizumi-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate
14th century
Height 36.0 cm, Bore 9.3 cm, Body 26.2 cm, Bottom 12.0 cm
Important Cultural Property
Nagoya City Museum
This vase was handed down from the Kasai family of Hoshuin. It is said to have fallen to the east after the fall of the Taira clan, after being delivered with mounded earth from the palace of Prince Sosohara. It is a large, wide-mouthed vase with a protruding band above the orifice, which suggests that it was made as a variant of the numerous narrow-mouthed plum vases. It is extremely rare as a complete vessel. The design depicts 16 lotus petals from the upper edge of the shoulder downward, with a single chinkakuji line and a square wave pattern painted on the entire surface. From the waist down, the design boasts a three-layered circular sword-tip design.
The three fish motifs are lightly rendered with a light touch and lack realism. The fish motifs are surrounded by blue ocean wave patterns that fill the entire surface of the body. A large vase and a small plum vase with similar fish and blue ocean wave patterns have been excavated from the Kari Kiln, and there is no doubt that they are from the same kiln. A guardian dog pedestal with a Yuan-Heng inscription was excavated from the same kiln, which can be dated to the middle of the late Kamakura period. The ash glaze shows a stable yellowish green color.
