Important Cultural Property
Accessories: Inner box, paulownia lid, label, inscription by Sen no Rikyū
Outer box, inscription on the underside of the lid by Yabuuchi Kyūkyūsai
Dimensions
Height: 17.3–17.8 cm; Mouth Diameter: 13.0–13.3 cm; Base Diameter: 5.4 cm; Foot Height: 0.9 cm; Weight: 295 g
Owner: The Muromachi Mitsui Family
Celadon cylinders come in large and small sizes; the larger one is the “Ōuchi Cylinder” (held by the Nezu Museum), which was passed down through the Ōuchi clan, while this is the smaller one, which originated from the Hongan-ji temple.
As shown in the illustration, it has a sleek cylindrical shape, and the unique, nearly transparent hue of celadon flows evenly over the entire surface, beautifully expressing the characteristic qualities of Kinuta celadon.
This piece was a gift from Toyotomi Hideyoshi to the Hongan-ji Temple, and the characters “Kinuta Hana-e” on the label affixed to the outer box are said to be in the hand of Rikyu. The outer box bears an inscription by Yabuuchi Kyukyu-sai reading, “From among the items received by Lord Toyotomi from the Hongan-ji Temple.”
It left the Hongan-ji Temple in the early Meiji period and is currently in the collection of the Muromachi Mitsui Family.
