"Burst bag" Freshwater Jar, late 16th - early 17th century
Unknown Japaneseexpand_more
Iga ware; stoneware with natural ash glaze; lacquer coverexpand_more
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundationexpand_more 2015.79.293a,b
On View in Gallery 224expand_more
Fittingly named “Burst Bag” (Yaburebukuro) by a previous owner, this water jar (mizusashi) epitomizes the purposeful rusticity admired by masters of the Japanese tea ceremony during the 1500s. The potter left the marks of his hands and fingers as he created the form on the wheel and made deep irregular incisions to augment the vessel’s dramatic shape. The jar was fired for between seventeen and seventy days, further deforming the vessel and leaving scorch marks and cracks that interact visually with vitreous green ash glaze.
The first object to enter the tearoom at the commencement of a tea ceremony, the mizusashi replenishes the kettle. It maintains a prominent position in the tearoom for the duration of the ceremony and therefore plays a key role in toriawase, the tea master’s deliberate selection and combination of utensils (tea bowl, caddy, water jar, kettle, etc.) that make each tea ceremony a unique event.
Details
- Title
- "Burst bag" Freshwater Jar
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.79.293a,b
- Provenance
- Count Matsuura Setsu until November, 1972 Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 608
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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