Excavated from the site of Kitashinden Kiln, Nisshin City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
10th century
Height 22.0cm, mouth diameter 8.0cm, body diameter 15.0cm, bottom diameter 12.0cm
Honda Collection
There are two types of this type of handled vase, large and small. This type of vase is based on a Chinese celadon pitcher of the late Tang Dynasty (5th century), and appeared as ash-glazed pottery at the Sanage kiln in the late 9th century. Large handled vases are available in a variety of styles, including green-glazed, ash-glazed, and unglazed with floral motifs, and some have a spout on the shoulder while others do not.
Early vases had a large bulging body with the largest diameter in the center of the body, but after the middle of the 10th century, the shoulders dropped and the center of gravity shifted to the lower half of the body.
This vessel was made by first making the base disk, then forming the basic shape of the body by winding up the corded clay, and then shaping the entire body on the potter’s wheel, which is a fairly low level of wheel throwing technique. The potter’s wheel technique has declined considerably. The entire surface is covered with ash glaze applied by brush, but the glaze layer is thin and has a light green color. There are very few complete large handled vases, and this is one of the most representative examples.
