Japanese Art from the Collection

A man sits in profile in the formal Japanese kneeling posture, facing a rounded, brown-glazed ceramic jar known as Chigusa. The jar is large—it comes halfway up the man’s chest in height, from his sitting position. The man wears traditional Japanese clothing, including a dark blue top garment, gray striped bottom garment, and socks. A silk cord and a fabric cover sit to the man’s right on thewoven floor covering. A net bag of blue silk cords pools around the bottom of the jar.

0:07 – First, the silk mouth cover is placed on Chigusa.

Pleats shape the fabric cover so it fits neatly over the jar’s mouth. The fabric bears a swirling cloud pattern in a warm orange brown.

The man picks up and carefully unfolds an orange silk cord.

0:31 – A matching silk cord is tied around the mouth cover to secure it.

1:07 – The light blue net bag is pulled up from the bottom over the mouth cover.

The man carefully stretches the net bag so the cords are spread evenly across the jar and so the hands at the top align.

1:41 – The handles of the net bag are tied to secure it in place.

The man ties one knot, pulls up on the handles to further tighten the net bag, and ties a second knot.

2:16 – Chigusa is now fully dressed with its mouth cover and net bag.

The view shows the jar by itself on a white background, with the full dressing of the silk cover and net bag. The net crisscrosses evenly across the jar’s curved surface.

The view returns to the man kneeling by the jar, with the net bag and cover now removed. Instead of the short, orange silk cord and the net bag, a long, blue silk cord pools on the floor next to the man. The fabric mouth cover is the same, but it sits upside down, so its blue underside faces upward.

2:34 – Now, Chigusa is reset for a different dressing style. First, the silk mouth cover is placed on Chigusa.

The man gathers up the silk cord from the floor. He makes a circle at the center of the cord and lowers it over the silk cover.

2:54 – A thick silk cord is tied around the mouth cover to secure it.

3:11 – The excess cord is arranged into intersecting, ornamental loops.

The cords are thick, so they hold their shape when the man works them into loops.

3:43 – A total of six loops completes the first section.

The man gently rotates the jar to the left to start knotting the second section of decoration.

4:11 – Another thick silk cord is arranged into three intersecting loops.

4:20 – The ends of the silk cord are inserted into the holes of Chigusa’s lugs.

The lugs are knobs with holes that protrude from the sides of the jar, under the mouth.

4:28 – The excess cord is used to doubly trace the three intersecting loops and is tied to secure it in place.

The man rotates the jar to the right, to the blank part on the other side of the main six loops.

4:56 – The same steps are repeated with a third set of thick silk cordage.

5:33 – Chigusa is now fully dressed with its mouth cover and three sets of ornamental silk cords arranged into intersecting loops that cover the front and two flanking sides.

The view shows the jar by itself on a white background, with the full dressing of the silk cover and cords.

0:00 – Dressing Chigusa

A man looks down at a large, brown-glazed ceramic jar known as Chigusa sitting on a woven floor covering. From over his shoulder, we see him lift a fabric jar cover.

0:10 – First, the silk mouth cover is placed on Chigusa.

Pleats shape the fabric cover so it fits neatly over the jar’s mouth. The fabric bears a swirling cloud pattern in a warm orange brown.

0:25 – A matching silk cord is tied around the mouth cover to secure it.

0:41 – The light blue net bag is pulled up from the bottom over the mouth cover.

The man carefully stretches the net bag so the cords are spread evenly across the jar.

0:56 – The handles of the net bag are tied to secure it in place.

1:10 – Chigusa is now fully dressed with its mouth cover and net bag.

The view fades out. When it fades back in, the net bag and cover are now removed from the jar.

1:22 – Now, Chigusa is reset for a different dressing style. First, the silk mouth cover is placed on Chigusa.

The man unfolds a long, blue silk cord.

1:34 – A thick silk cord is tied around the mouth cover to secure it.

The man makes a circle at the center of the cord and lowers it over the silk cover.

1:47 – The excess cord is arranged into intersecting, ornamental loops.

1:59 – A total of six loops completes the first section.

The man makes a new set of loops from another blue cord in his lap.

2:12 – Another thick silk cord is arranged into three intersecting loops.

2:19 – The ends of the silk cord are inserted into the holes of Chigusa’s lugs.

The lugs are knobs with holes that protrude from the sides of the jar, under the mouth.

2:27 – The excess cord is used to doubly trace the three intersecting loops and is tied to secure it in place.

The man carefully rotates the jar.

2:40 – After adding a second set of three intersecting loops, Chigusa is now fully dressed.

2:47 – The mouth cover adorns the top. Three sets of ornamental silk cords cover the front and two flanking sides.

Two versions of the jar appear on a white background with the two different sets of dressing demonstrated so far. The left version wears the net bag, while the right wears the loops of silk cord.