Tea Storage Jar, late 16^th-early 17^th century
Japanese, Momoyama period
Bizen ware
High-fired stoneware
Founders Society Purchase, New Endowment Fund and Henry Ford II Fund
1989.73

In Japan, the rise of the military class with their passion for rustic simplicity in ceramic wares fueled a boom in the production of high-fired stoneware. The "Six Old Kilns" sites of Bizen, Tamba, Shigaraki, Echizen, Seto, and Tokoname had long been producing humble wares. As the ruling class patronized the tea ceremony, these kilns were in demand to supply simple wares, which became expressions of the restraint and cultivated appreciation valued in this rite. In this cultural milieu, accidental occurrences during firing, such as deposits of ash, stone bursts, and fire or cord marks, became features that potters deliberately tried to reproduce with great care. By the time this Bizen jar was produced, there was nothing accidental about the fire marks or the well-placed spot of ash glaze on its shoulder.