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The Beauty of Unglazed Tea Wares: From the Kilns of Bizen, Shigaraki, Iga, and Tanba

  • Image of "Flower Vase with Lugs, Iga ware, Edo period, 17th century"

    Flower Vase with Lugs, Iga ware, Edo period, 17th century

    Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 14
    September 18, 2019 (Wed) - December 8, 2019 (Sun)

    Unglazed ceramics fired at high temperatures were initially produced in large quantities for daily use. Later, they came to be used in Japanese tea ceremonies, taking the form of practical vessels such as pails and jars.

    As the tea ceremony began incorporating the wabi aesthetic, a concept associated with rustic simplicity, a wider variety of distinctively-designed tea wares were created.

    This exhibition showcases tea wares created at some of the major Japanese kilns—Bizen, Shigaraki, Iga, and Tanba—that are known for the production of unglazed ceramic wares.

    Visitors are invited to examine the differing clay colors from each place of production, the wide-ranging uses and shapes, and the diverse surface patterns created spontaneously during firing as a byproduct of unique combinations of clay and flame intensity.

 Major works in this exhibition
* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated.
 Major works in this exhibition
* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated.
Water Jar with Straight Lip, Known as “Shiba no Iori”, Shigaraki ware, Hitoeguchi type, Azuchi-Momoyama – Edo period, 16th–17th century (Important Cultural Property, Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige)
Water Jar with Lugs, Bizen ware, Edo period, 17th century (Private collection)
Flower Vase with Lugs, Iga ware, Edo period, 17th century
Flower Vase, With round decorations, Tanba ware, Edo period, 17th century

 

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