Earthenware, Stoneware. These ceramic predecessors of porcelain are prolific in Japanese ceramic history. Historians credit the Jomon people, the earliest Japanese, with the invention of clay pottery. Jomon pots at first consisted of a clay cylinder wound around by rope, leaving its distinctive impression on the texture of the clay. These grew in size and expanded by adding circular figures that remind one of rope tied in a circle. The Jomon era was followed by refinements of the Sueki (“Sue”) age which, with by now higher kiln temperatures, reached stoneware hardness and density typically used for funerary purposes—often buried with its honoree. Much of this early work had no apparent purpose other than decoration, even “art” or clay play.
The possessions in this collection exemplify much of this early work. There is especially a considerable grouping of pre-Jomon works. But, the collection contains an abundance of functional ceramics, especially pots of various sizes and shapes, from the earliest eras, through Momayama, to Edo. Presented are all types of so called ‘Six ancient kilns’, namely Seto, Echizen, Tokoname, Shigaraki, Tanba, and Bizen ware. These pots are sturdy enough to have survived the ages. Many are (amateurishly, roughly) glazed and show imperfections that are at once distinctive to the materials, mixtures of clay, and to the needs for which these vessels were made—glazing needed to hold liquids or other foods, with little concern for the resulting look of the glaze. Closeups would reveal the human element of accidents and learning by doing missing in later years of perfected production techniques.
Especially attractive is called “oatmeal” texture which, like its name, is irregular with many flaws the inexperienced eye didn’t care about and almost looks intended, so many of which are similar despite the variety of uses intended. One is built to hold a month’s worth (or more) of soy sauce. Many others—no surprise here—were intended to hold large quantities of sake, others to hold enough for entertaining a group of friends.
