Important Cultural Property
Height 17.8cm, mouth diameter 18.5cm, bottom diameter 18.0cm
Hatakeyama Memorial Museum
This is a representative example of Shino Yaguchi-shaped water jar. The design, glaze, and shape are all outstanding. On one side of the body, there are three ashi plants, and on the reverse side, an ashi plant with several stems is depicted. The glaze over the entire surface except for the bottom is well melted, but it lacks a little softness, perhaps due to over-firing. A faint fire color appears around the mouth and at the base, which harmonizes with the ink painting-like pattern and adds elegance to the strong appearance of the ware. The fact that it has survived despite the large defects at the mouth is due to its excellent workmanship, and the marks of the lid around the nock-shaped mouth probably indicate that it was fired with a lid. The Hyakuso clay is well-fired. It is believed to have been made at the Muta-do kiln in Ohgaya.
Along with tea bowls, many of Shino’s works are excellent water jars. Most of them are of the arrow-necked type, but arrow-necked water jars are made not only in Mino but also in Bizen, Shigaraki, Iga, and other regions. This illustration shows the bottom of the “Kogishi” shown in Fig. 18. The clear traces of thread cutting and soft Hyakuso clay can be seen.
