Cup

early 17th century

Furuta Oribe (1544–1615), a Momoyama-period tea master, gave his name to a type of ceramic decoration that was traditionally practiced at the Mino kilns but was picked up by ceramicists at other kiln sites. Oribe usually consists of patches of slightly runny green glaze on a beige clay body with whimsical painted decoration in brown and white. Among the wares favored by traditional tea practitioners, Oribe is the most ornamental. Deep cups of this type were used for the many small tastes of food that accompany the multicourse meal (kaiseki) that sometimes precedes a tea ceremony.