Set of six sake or sencha cups with slip design and inscription

Object Details

• Artist

  Miura Ken'ya (1821-1889)

• Description

  Small ovoidal, on bold, unglazed foot.

  Clay: thin, grayish, Raku-type earthenware.

  Glaze: brilliant iridescent lead glaze; cream hakeme over warm gray.

  Belonging to a set: F1904.429.1-8 (given to Freer as a group but unrelated to other pieces in "set").

• Signatures

  In iron inside footrim: Ken'ya.

• Inscriptions

  In iron on outside and incised just outside footrim: "Popular sentiment represents the will of Heaven"

• Label

  This cup was made for serving Chinese-style steeped tea. The inscription on the cup reads: The will of the people is the will of Heaven.

• Provenance

  To 1904

  Kosa Honma (1842-1909), to 1904 [1]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), given by Kosa Honma in 1904 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1310, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [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

  Artists of Edo (November 19, 2005 to May 29, 2006)

  The Potter's Brush: The Kenzan Style in Japanese Ceramics (December 9, 2001 to October 27, 2002)

  Korean Influences on Japanese Slip-Decorated Ceramics (February 16, 1984 to November 9, 1984)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Honma Kosa (1842-1909) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Tokyo, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1880s, 1870s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Honma, Kosa

• Place

  Tokyo, Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Japanese Art, Iridescence, Ceramics, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Sake

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)