12th century
Height 49.5cm, Bore 20.6cm, Body 48.8cm, Bottom 22.0cm
Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
This is a large, short-necked jar with a bulging body, and judging from its shape, there is no doubt that it was made in the 12th century. The clay is rich in the sandy texture characteristic of Atsumi, and it is made by wheel-forming. The firing temperature is low, and it has a reddish-brown color that is close to that of a fresh burn. On the shoulder, the inscription “Tadasomi Tadasomi, fifth rank, Fujiwara clan, Tadaso clan, Tadaso clan, Tadaso clan, Tadaso clan, Fujiwara clan, Michimune clan” is engraved in bold saddle-stitched lines. A jar with a similar inscription was excavated from a sutra mound in Nishikida Village, Shizuoka Prefecture in ancient times, and both are thought to have been fired at the Oarako Kiln in the central Atsumi Peninsula. A number of pottery shards engraved with inscriptions common to both were excavated from the same kiln.
