Fresh water jar (mizusashi)

Cool water from this jar (mizusashi) is used to replenish a kettle during the making of powdered green tea. Often the first utensil carried into the tearoom during a Japanese tea gathering, this vessel sets the tone for the host’s selection of utensils used on a particular occasion. At the close of the gathering, the host would take clean water from this jar to rinse the teabowl. This type of pottery, called Iga ware, was made in Iga province (today’s Mie prefecture). While Iga ware was produced as early as the eighth century, it became important during the sixteenth century with tea practitioners’ increasing preference for a rustic aesthetic. This jar reflects the taste of famous tea masters like Furuta Oribe (1544–1615) who saw beauty in imperfection. Many Japanese feudal lords and tea masters preferred the rustic appearance of Iga, and they commissioned deliberately distorted wares. They also appreciated cracked clay surfaces and did not consider them to be flaws. This jar was first wheel thrown and then intentionally distorted to make it irregular in shape. Ashes from a wood fire fell onto the jar and were transformed by high heat into a glassy green glaze. This glaze is difficult to control, and its drips are mostly accidental. However, experienced potters could foresee the firing effect and control the glaze to a certain degree. In order to achieve the desired result, potters carefully placed ceramic wares into steep-sloping kilns and controlled the temperature to manipulate the firing environment. The firing temperature of Iga ware was as high as 1,300°C (2,372°F), which caused the clay to become vitreous (glass-like) and therefore watertight. The thin, elegant lid is made of a piece of wood coated with multiple layers of black lacquer. It was probably not made by the potter, but was custom made by a lacquer craftsman.