Large Japanese Antique Tokoname Tsubo Stoneware Floor Jar

A massive and magnificent ceramic Tsubo jar by Japanese potter Tsujimura Yui (1975-). Inspired by the techniques and aesthetics of the early medieval Sue ware, the artist hand builds an impressive voluminous oviform, irregular by intention, from a combination clay from both Shigaraki and Iga, coarse by nature and rich in feldspar. Fired on their sides horizontally, the surface of the thick wall tsubo is covered with streaks and drips of natural ash glazes in shades of green and blue, forming an abstract and mesmerizing pattern that resembles geothermal earth activity. Additional ashes are blown during the firing to accentuate the textures. Most recognizably, there are many circular marks scattered on the surface of his archaic looking vessels. That is resulted from using stacked tea bowls to prevent the conjoining of the vessels. After the firing, the stacked vessels are chipped away, leaving behind those circular impression, as well as deep pools of glaze which gather where they were placed. Born in 1975, Tsujimura Yui is the first son of the contemporary ceramic artist Tsujimura Shiro...

A Japanese glazed ceramic jar with a lacquered wood lid circa 19th century of late Edo to early Meiji Period. The stoneware tsubo was used as a storage vessel for produce such as tea...

A massive stoneware tsubo floor jar created by Japanese contemporary ceramic artist Kai Tsujimura (1976-). The heavy jar with its impressive volume was made in the tradition of Iga ware with local coarse sandy clay that turned reddish after the firing. It took its shape from heavy medieval storage jars with a wide-open mouth. For a nearly identical form, see an Echizen jar from Heian period (794–1185) in the collection of MET (Accession Number: 1977.261). The surface showcases scattered white crystalized feldspars and a green vitrified ash glaze cascade down the body (known as biidoro in Japanese - after the Portuguese word for glass vidoro). These is a globular shape impressed on the jar. It is a signature practice of the Tsujimura potter family by stacking bowls between the pieces in the kiln during the firing, resulting in an accidental but iconic aethetic (Kai and Yui Tsujimura...

A pinkish stoneware jar with broad shoulder and slightly tapered body from Chinese East Zhou Dynasty (771-256BC). The surface of the jar was nearly thorou...

An absolutely stunning Bizen ware stoneware vase/jar/vessel - produced sometime during the late Momoyama period (1568-1600) / Early Edo Period (1603-1867). Bizen yaki...

A large heavily glazed stoneware saki jar or pot. This traditional Japanese piece has wonderful colors and a beautiful shape, 19th century.  

These antique Awaji jars have a deep burgundy color with a beautiful translucence created by such high temperatures during firing, that it borders on stoneware. The interior brush ma...

This large, glazed stoneware vessel is a Meiji-era Japanese storage jar (tsubo) used for storing rice wine, water or even tea leaves and spices. Sometimes referred to as a Martaban jar due to historic trade routes, this style of unrefined, ovoid jar was common throughout East Asia as everyday containers for liquids and foodstuffs. The large vessel is sculpted to a tapered form with broad shoulders, a narrow base, and a constrained neck flanked by two small loop handles. The interior and shoulders are drenched in a thin, iron-rich glaze that imparts a glassy, dark brown finish and drips down the unglazed sides with irregular movement. Beautifully imperfect, the jar's textured finish and subtle asymmetry honors the spirit of wabi-sabi and recalls primitive medieval Japanese...