Tea leaf jar, named Yoro

This Seto ware jar was given to the lord of the Yanagawa domain, Tachibana Muneshige, by the 3rd Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu. This was during Iemitsu’s second visit to the tea ceremony held at the Yanagawa domain’s suburban residence in Edo (modern Tokyo) in 1639. Muneshige was seventy-three years old at this time. Since then, this jar has been handed down with good care as a treasured heirloom of the Tachibana family.
This is a slim-shaped jar, narrowing slowly from the shoulder toward the bottom. However, it has an imposing presence, which is produced by the powerful and dynamic brush marks of the black iron glaze.