Tea Ceremony Fresh Water Jar (Mizusashi)

late 16th-early 17th century

The brief Momoyama period (1573–1615) was a golden age for ceramic innovation in Japan, as potters responded to a surge in demand for tea wares. The mizusashi, a lidded pot containing clean water for making tea and rinsing cups, is the first vessel to be brought into the place where a tea ceremony is being held, and as such it attracts a great deal of attention from participants. Some mizusashi have ceramic lids while others have lacquered wood lids, as was likely the case with this object. The light-green coating of natural ash glaze, small scorch marks, and prominent “ear” handles of this piece typify tea wares made at the kilns of Iga, a mountainous area southeast of Kyōto.