Old Iga ware vase with handles

In the beginning of the 17th century, the Tea Ceremony culture (chanoyū) flourished in Japan. Pots such as tea bowls, water jars and vases where made with powerful and unprecedented aesthetics under the guidance of the samurai tea master Furuta Oribe (1543-1615) at the time of the Iga daimyo Tsutsui Sadatsugu (1562-1615), Tōdō Takatora (1556-1630) and Takatsugi (1602-1676).