Excavated from Shichikyoku Kiln, Kitaoka-cho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
14th century
Height 5.0cm, mouth diameter 2.8cm, body diameter 5.2cm, bottom diameter 3.3cm
Iron-glazed small jars like this one are called kobo (small jar) according to their size.
Some of them were too small, and some were too small or too small to be used as tea containers. Some think that they were used for medicine or other purposes because many of them are too small and do not necessarily conform to the form of a tea jar. However, the appearance of these small jars is in line with the Tenmoku tea bowls, and since they are all exquisite works, it is more natural to consider them as tea containers. Even if we say that they were imitations of Chinese tea containers, it is not necessarily true that they had to be the same shape since they were made during the trial period. However, many of them were made in the style of the names given in the “Kimitai Kangenjochoki” and “Chaware Meimono Shu” by Soji Yamakami.
This piece was made by the Shichikyoku Kiln, which produced many excellent pieces. It is made of fine yellowish-white clay, very thin, and carefully ground. The iron glaze is brightly colored, almost like a matte persimmon glaze, and shows a homogeneous and brilliant glaze tone. This tea caddy is one of the best examples of the Bunrin type.
