Excavated from Shiokusa Kiln, Shiokusa-cho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
13th century
(Left)Height 6.8cm, Bore 2.0cm, Diameter 5.4cm (Right)Height 6.7cm, Bore 2.4cm, Diameter 5.2cm
　Small vases like this are common in the early Kosedo period, and judging from their form, they were probably modeled after ash-glazed four-mimi jars. It is unclear what these small vases were used for, but some of the slightly larger ones were used as bone implements, and we know from examples excavated from the cemetery at the inner sanctuary of Koyasan, Wakayama Prefecture, that they were made to separate the bones of the deceased. Koyasan, where burial was originally practiced and cremation vessels were brought from various places. If so, these small vases may have been used for such purposes. It is wheel-thrown and water-ground, with the back of the potter’s wheel still in its thread-cut bottom. The ash glaze is thin and light green in color.
