Excavated from Sumiyoshidaira 14 Tumulus, Ichinomiya-cho, Aichi Prefecture.
7th century.
Total height: 33.0cm, bore diameter: 8.3cm, body diameter: 14.6cm, base diameter: 12.6cm.
Ichinomiya Town Board of Education
More than a dozen examples of short-necked jars with a high stand decorated with Sue ware with a bird-shaped lid have been excavated from burial mounds and kiln sites in the Tokai region, including Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures. Most of them date from the 7th century, and most have a single bird painted on the lid strap, but there are some rare examples, such as one with three birds painted on the lid strap excavated from the Hirushimori burial mound in Shizuoka Prefecture, and another with three birds painted on the shoulder from the Iwatsu No. 1 burial mound in Aichi Prefecture. All of them represent waterfowl, and some of them have open wings, as in Toba, Mie Prefecture.
The most neatly shaped of these is this bird jar lid.
The tail feathers are raised high, and the wings of the bird are drawn in fine line carving. The body of the jar with its base has two-tiered four-way openwork feet, top and bottom, bordered by double chink lines. The top and shoulders of the bird’s lid are covered with a green natural glaze. Birds were a favorite subject for Sue ware decoration, but this type of jar with a bird-shaped lid is a very regional piece, found only in the Ise Bay area.
This jar with a lid and shape shape bird-shaped knob is an extremely regional piece found only in the Ise Bay region. It may indicate part of the background of the Takemikazuchi legend.
