Important Cultural Property
Accessories: Inner box, black lacquer with gold-leaf lettering, inscribed
Underside of Lid: Black lacquer with gold-powder lettering; Inscription: Written by Hotta Bitchū-no-kami Masatoshi
Dimensions
Height: 29.3 cm; Mouth Diameter: Inner 6.7 cm, Outer 8.3 cm; Body Diameter: 16.4 cm; Foot Diameter: 12.0 cm; Foot Height: 2.3 cm; Weight: 1400 g
Owner: Nezu Museum, Tokyo
This form is called “bamboo shoot” because the raised grain pattern created by the potter’s wheel evokes images of bamboo or bamboo shoots.
The rim is rounded, the neck is long, and the base is bulbous.
Because of its high artistic quality, tea masters have long prized bamboo shoot vases, and it seems there were a considerable number of them among celadon vases. Among them, this example from the Nezu Museum was renowned as the largest.
At the Kōetsu-kai exhibition in 1969, a “Sukemono” vase said to have come from the Maeda family appeared. Although it did not match the size of this vase, it was quite large, and its rim was so unusual that it was difficult to describe. Furthermore, while the horizontal striations are usually seven in number, the Maeda family’s vase has eight.
The provenance of this bamboo-shaped vase is as follows: it was bestowed upon Hotta Bichū-no-kami Masatoshi by the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna, and was subsequently passed down to the Nezu Museum. Furthermore, the origin story written by Hotta Bichū-no-kami on the box is as follows:
On the 26th day of the 4th month of the year of the Horse (1678),
I received this in the presence of His Majesty. Every time I see a single flower or a single
blade of grass, I am reminded of the depth of his kindness, which I never forget
in my heart; therefore, I wrote this to pass it down to future generations.
Hotta Bichū-no-kami Masatoshi
