Biographies of Fujii Shrine, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
13th century
Height 22.4cm, mouth diameter 10.1cm, body diameter 19.3cm, bottom diameter 10.2cm
Aichi Prefecture Designated Cultural Property
A small, slightly shouldered short-necked jar with a slightly outward-curving mouth rim. The lines of the body are straight and taper toward the bottom. It is made of a grayish-white, highly refractory base with a dark green natural glaze applied from the shoulder to part of the body.
The shoulder is inscribed “Fujii Shrine Great Myojin Sake Bottle” in an unrestrained touch of calligraphy. It is known to have been dedicated to Fujii Shrine as a sake vessel. It was not until the Kamakura period (1185-1333) that such sake vessels were dedicated to the shrine, and this jar is thought to have been made near the middle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333) in terms of form.
