Shigaraki ware jar for hand-washing water

Object Details

• Artist

  Okuda Shinsai (1821-1902)

• Description

  Clay: light gray stoneware.

  Glaze: clear colorless ash glaze (namijiro) with four large areas of copper-tinted glaze, yellowish-olive splashed with blood-red, cracked.

• Marks

  Two marks: kyo in jar shaped frame; shin in round frame, impressed near base of jar.

• Label

  Okuda Shinsai was famous both as a maker of large ceramic pieces and as a sumo wrestler. This sort of jar could be found in every Japanese home, but Shinsai's version is distinguished by the rare use of underglaze copper-red, a difficult and costly color to achieve.

• Provenance

  To 1898

  Yamanaka & Company, to 1898 [1]

  From 1898 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1898 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 39, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. The majority of Charles Lang Freer’s purchases from Yamanaka & Company were made at its New York branch. Yamanaka & Company maintained branch offices, at various times, in Boston, Chicago, London, Peking, Shanghai, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. During the summer, the company also maintained seasonal locations in Newport, Bar Harbor, and Atlantic City.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Japanese Art of the Meiji Era (September 20, 1997 to April 26, 1998)

  Japanese Ceramics from Past to Present (February 18, 1983 to February 16, 1984)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Shigaraki, Shiga prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1850s, 1680s, 1670s, 1860s, 1870s, 1660s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Shiga prefecture, Japan, Shigaraki

• Topic

  Water, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Stoneware, Shigaraki ware, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Ceramics

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)