Studio: international art (46.1909)

The Cha-no-yu Pottery of Japan

FIG. 12. TEA JAR, BY TOSHIRO

of glazed pottery. Upon his return he settled in
Seto, where suitable earth was to be found in
abundance for his purpose. So highly is he esteemed
in the land of his birth that a temple has been
erected to his memory, where festivals are held in
his honour twice a year. The clay employed by
him was of a brown colour, and was somewhat
rough from the admixture within it of siliceous
grit. The glazes were dark brown broken in
tint "with lighter shades. His work has served
as models to all his succeeding generations. Its
simplicity and perfection of workmanship appealed
strongly to the members of the tea clubs, who
collected and preserved examples with the greatest
care, so that at this long distance from the date of
their production many pieces are still treasured in
most excellent condition.

Of the various masters of the tea ceremony who
seem to have made their individuality felt in the
productions of the Seto kilns, Furuta Oribe and
Shino Ienobu are among the most notable. It is
related that a kiln was erected in the latter end of
the sixteenth century at Narumi, in Owari, at which
Oribe superintended the making of sixty-six cha-
tsubo of great excellence, to which the term Oribe-
yaki was first applied, and lhat the making of wares

from that time in that kiln always bore the name
of the great Cha-jin. In the little tea jar shown
overleaf, which is supposed to have been produced
under his influence, some novel and interesting
features are observable. (Fig. 14 ) It is apparently
modelled entirely by hand, the little fingered inden-
tations in the side being of value in arresting the
uniform flow of the glaze. It is made of a dark
brown earth covered with a yellowish opaque glaze,
over which a transparent blue glaze is run. In the
thinner portion of the over-glaze, the yellow under-
glaze shows through and produces a pleasant green
effect, the blue displaying its natural colour only
when the glaze is sufficiently heavy to hide entirely
the yellow under-glaze. Two small Kogo or per-
fume boxes are also shown (Figs. 15 and 16),

FIG. 13. TEA JAR, BY TOSHIRO

both of which are entirely modelled by hand, the
under-glaze being crackled and the mon displayed
in varying forms.

Shino, a Cha-jin of considerable celebrity, was
under the patronage of the great Yoshimasa towards
the end of the fifteenth century. The wares made
under his direction are greatly valued by connois-
seurs of tea utensils, and possess certain character-
istics of remarkable originality. The large hot-
water pitcher (yukwan) figured on the next page
(Fig. 17) exhibits some of the special features of
the productions attributed to his influence. In
criticising its form it must be remembered that its
essential purpose is to hold hot water, to keep it
hot, and to permit it to be easily poured out when
required. As in Raku ware, a coarse earth has
been selected which is an efficient non-conductor
of heat. The heavy glazing inside and out is
necessary to render it non-porous. Extra strength

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