Tea ceremony water jar with matching cover

Object Details

• Artist

  False seal of Raku Sonyu (1664-1716)

• Description

  Tea-ceremony water jar with matching cover (tomobuta mizusashi [JPN])

  Clay: sonorous, gray-white; Raku type.

  Glaze: mottled peach-red splashed with dark grayish-green, and thin gray. Red Raku glaze (red slip under clear lead glaze).

  Mark: Raku, impressed on base.

• Inscriptions

  Inscribed by Kakkakusai (1678-1730), sixth master of the Omote Senke tea school.

• Label

  This water jar is attributed by its box inscription to Raku Sonyu. Cousin of the renowned artists, Ogata Korin (1658-1716) and Ogata Korin (1663-1743), Sonyu was adopted into the Raku family while still an infant and became the fifth head of the workshop. This large, heavy jar reproduces the so-called potato shape (imogata) of certain unglazed jars brought from Southeast Asia in the 16th century and adopted for tea-ceremony use. This box is inscribed by Kakkakusai (1678-1730), sixth master of the Omote Senke tea school.

• Provenance

  Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900), Kyoto [1]

  To 1900

  Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1900 [2]

  From 1900 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1900 [3]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record. See also, Curatorial Remark

  5, H.E. Buckman, 1964, which states that the Envelope File contained the following note: "Formerly in Ikeda Collection."

  [2] See Original Pottery List, L. 756, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] 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

  Boxed In: Japanese Ceramics and Their Storage Boxes (September 23, 1982 to February 17, 1983)

  Special Exhibition of Japanese Pottery (October 29, 1971 to October 31, 1971)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900)

  Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1900s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Matsuki, Bunkio, Ikeda, Seisuke

• Place

  Kyoto, Japan, Kyoto prefecture

• Topic

  Water, Tea, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Kyoto ware, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Pottery, Ceramics, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Red slip, Raku ware

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)