Bizen water jar with “fire marks”
Important Cultural Property
Height 13.7cm, Bore 10.9 x 13.9cm, Body 17.2cm, Bottom 10.7cm
Hatakeyama Memorial Museum
This is probably the first masterpiece among the Hidasuki water jars. The large mouth is distorted into an oval shape, the shoulders are rounded, and the hem is narrow. The design of the mouth is the highlight of this sui-jigashi. It is likely that when the potter’s wheel was thrown, it was made to have a rounded rim, but because it was made to be overlaid, one side fell inward, resulting in an oddly formed shape. This kind of coincidental interest and flavor is the real appeal of tea ceremony ceramics.
The clay is soft and white, with a scarlet pattern on it, and the mouth is red as if blurred. There is a small stone sumac on the body, and a “○” is engraved in the center of the flat bottom. The bottom of the bowl has a ring-shaped mark, but part of it is missing.
