Imported Ware; Collection of Lord Shimaazu Tadashige
Name
Named after the Sakon family of Tanegashima, who owned it.
Dimensions
Height: 2 sun 2 bu (approx. 6.7 cm)
Body diameter: 2 sun 3 bu (approx. 7.0 cm)
Mouth diameter: 8 bu (approx. 2.4 cm)
Base diameter: 9 bu or 1 sun (approx. 2.7 cm to 3.0 cm)
Height of the koshiki (neck ring): 1 bu 5 rin (approx. 0.5 cm)
Weight: 19 monme 5 bu (approx. 73 g)
Accessories
Lid: 1 piece, ivory
Pouches: 2
O-nado ground with large cloud-dragon pattern; reverse side iridescent; cord fasteners purple
Navy ground with arabesque damask; reverse side pale green silk; cord fasteners purple
Attached label reads “Yokiya-tonsu (Yoshino-ya damask)”
Pouch boxes: 2; paulownia; natural wood
Seed Eggplant Pouch
Eggplant Tea Caddy Pouch
Hikiya: Black lacquer, gold-leaf lettering, calligraphy by Shimazu Tadanobu
Eggplant
Pouch: Ryukyu woolen fabric, mon-donsu (crested satin), cord fasteners white
Inner Box: Paulownia, natural wood
Eggplant Tea Caddy
Outer Box: Black lacquer, gold-leaf lettering
Eggplant Tea Caddy
Accompanying tray: Blue shell tray, inscribed with “Kanai-bon,” polished blue shell
7 sun square (approx. 21.2 cm square); mirror section is 5 sun 2 bu square (approx. 15.8 cm square); height 8 bu (approx. 2.4 cm)
(Poem on the mirror section)
Kanai, Kanade
Seek not the Kanai railing
Seek not the Kanai rope
The rope snaps, the potter’s wheel sounds
Clear springs fall like tears
Accompanying Note
Record
Kanai Bowl: 1 piece
The item on the right has been in our family’s possession for generations, passed down from our ancestor Fujigane. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, we have requested to present it as a gift; there is no ulterior motive. In response, I was instructed to accept one hundred ryō in koban gold as a token of appreciation, which I gratefully received.
Therefore, this document serves as proof of receipt. That is all.
May 19, Bunsei 2 (1819)
Fujiwara no Fuji-moto
Witness: Fuji-moto’s biological father
Sakai Shunzan
To Mr. Shiraishi Sanetsugu
To Mr. Ito Yoshiharu
Accompanying letter: 1 copy
Tea caddy pouch: 1, boxed
However, made of Chinese brocade
The item on the right is a replacement pouch for the Seed Eggplant tea caddy, newly completed on this occasion and enclosed herewith.
Hikiya: Gold-leaf characters reading “Eggplant” in the handwriting of Lord Saishō
The above was written by him on this occasion.
The item on the right was borrowed for your viewing of the “Seed Eggplant” tea caddy. It was ordered last August via a message sent when Lord Kawakami Mino traveled to Edo and was used for a tea ceremony. However, as per your instructions, a replacement pouch for this caddy has been completed, and you have personally inscribed the characters on the lid. As it is to be returned on this occasion, please inquire regarding the proper procedures for its storage in your home province, as described above.
Attached: Head of the Tea Ceremony
Ikeda Sōsetsu
February 19, Year of the Rooster, Bunsei 8 (1825)
Attached: Senior Tea Master
Nire Kiyotsugu
Accompanying letter: 1 copy
Eggplant-shaped tea caddy: 1
The item described above was presented to Lord Kawakami Mino upon His Lordship’s instruction to bring it with him when he traveled to Edo last year, so that His Retired Lordship, Lord Saishin, might use it during tea ceremonies. He used it frequently for tea ceremonies. At his behest, the word “Eggplant” was inscribed on the black-lacquered inner box of the Hikiya tea caddy, and a satin pouch featuring a Tang-style woven cloud-and-dragon crest was also prepared and included at his request. This spring, when the Lord (the feudal lord) returned home, it was returned to the domain residence in Shiba and brought back. We received an inquiry from Ikeda Sōsetsu, the Head of the Shirokane Tea Ceremony, and Nire Kiyotsugu, the Head of the Inner Tea Ceremony, requesting that we attach a note stating that we have acknowledged this matter, and we have complied. Since the tea caddy was handed over by Maetani Noda, the Head of the Inner Tea Ceremony, we have attached this note and are recording it here for future reference. That is all.
Iji Seia
April 10, 1826 (Bunsei 9, Year of the Fire Dog)
Takashima Shin’ami
Niho Zen’ami
Kamito Haru’ami
Kodama Etsu’ami
Miscellaneous Notes
Seed Eggplant Tea Caddy: 1 piece
The item shown on the right was passed down in the family of Tanegashima Sakonke, the grandfather of Tanegashima Danjō. It was confiscated during the reign of the Chūnagon (Shimazu Iehisa), and when shown to a man named Fujishige Fujigane, he remarked, “It is in no way different from the famous Meibutsu ‘Tsukumo’ eggplant tea caddy, a treasure of the realm. It is said that there are three of these in the world, and two of them were in the possession of the Taiko (Toyotomi Hideyoshi); this one is no different from the one that was burned when Hideyori died in Osaka. This tea caddy is even more magnificent. It is said that at that time, Toiwa remarked, ‘No matter how high the price, I will sell it for five hundred pieces [of gold].’” This is recorded in the letters from Shimazu Shimotsukamoto and Ise Hyogo Sadamasa found in Lord Iehisa’s genealogical records. As a token of gratitude for the tea caddy shown on the right, it is said that he granted Sakon over 4,000 koku of rice from the Shimadzu family’s direct holdings on Tanegashima. This is also recorded in Lord Iehisa’s chronicles.
(Documents of the Shimazu Marquess Family)
History
In the 8th year of Bunsei (1825), Shimazu Iehisa confiscated the property from the Sakon family of Tanegashima and granted them a fief of over 4,000 koku in exchange. It is said that this property was destroyed by fire during the Satsuma Rebellion in the 10th year of Meiji (1877).
Field Notes
On September 20, 1921 (Taisho 10), I examined this piece at the residence of Lord Shimazu Tadashige in Osaki-machi, Ebara District, Tokyo Prefecture.
The rim is rounded, with a shallow flaring (curvature at the rim’s edge). A single groove runs around the body, and from the rim downward, the clay reveals a color tinged with iron oxide. The thread cut on the base is somewhat rough, and a single mold line runs near the base. The base surface bears marks from a spatula and fingerprints, with a small chip in the center. The overall color is a black-brown with a pale yellowish tint, reminiscent of Tenmoku glaze; the glaze flows down from the ridges on the body, stopping at the rim, and at the tips of these drips (where the glaze has run) there is a “snake-scorpion” pattern (a mottled pattern resembling the skin of a snake or lizard). Furthermore, the same color appears at the tip of a similar glaze drip running parallel to this one. Presumably due to exposure to fire, the glaze has lost some of its luster, and while the original glaze color has been lost in some areas due to lacquer repairs made after the vessel was severely damaged, the lower portion of the body retains its original quality, and the “snake-and-scorpion” pattern is particularly intriguing. Inside, the glaze covers the rim, while below that, the wheel marks are barely noticeable, forming only faint striations. The overall form is excellent, and had this tea caddy remained intact, it would surely have stood out as exceptional even among Tang-style eggplant-shaped tea caddies; however, it is truly a great pity that parts of its original condition have been lost due to the severe damage.
