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Source Description
<em>Mizusashi</em> are jars used to hold water for the preparation of tea at tea gatherings. This one was produced in the Mino area of present-day Gifu prefecture in central Japan, and is considered one of the finest of its type in existence, based on the complex aesthetic sensibilities developed around the tea ceremony in Japan. It is called a “picture Shino” (<em>e-shino</em>) mizusashi, as it has an abstracted design said to resemble an ink painting of reeds along a river bank and small boats in a river on one side, and a geometric pattern on the other. With its irregular shape and thick, luminous glaze, it is of a variety favored by eminent tea masters of the Momoyama period.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
147072
label
Water Container (Mizusashi) with Riverscape
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
147072
contentType
object
title
Water Container (Mizusashi) with Riverscape
description
<em>Mizusashi</em> are jars used to hold water for the preparation of tea at tea gatherings. This one was produced in the Mino area of present-day Gifu prefecture in central Japan, and is considered one of the finest of its type in existence, based on the complex aesthetic sensibilities developed around the tea ceremony in Japan. It is called a “picture Shino” (<em>e-shino</em>) mizusashi, as it has an abstracted design said to resemble an ink painting of reeds along a river bank and small boats in a river on one side, and a geometric pattern on the other. With its irregular shape and thick, luminous glaze, it is of a variety favored by eminent tea masters of the Momoyama period.
date
late 1500s–early 1600s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79926145
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 19.6 cm (7 11/16 in.); Lid: 2.9 x 14.7 cm (1 1/8 x 5 13/16 in.); Container: 18.4 cm (7 1/4 in.)
cul
Japan, Momoyama period (1573-1615) to Edo period (1615-1858)
accession
1972.9.a
Source extras
tec
Stoneware with underglaze iron oxide slip decoration (Mino ware, Shino type)
tombstone
Water Container (Mizusashi) with Riverscape, late 1500s–early 1600s. Japan, Momoyama period (1573-1615) to Edo period (1615-1858). Stoneware with underglaze iron oxide slip decoration (Mino ware, Shino type); diameter: 19.6 cm (7 11/16 in.); lid: 2.9 x 14.7 cm (1 1/8 x 5 13/16 in.); container: 18.4 cm (7 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1972.9.a
collection
Japanese Art
didYouKnow
The water this container held during a tea ceremony was used to fill the <em>kama</em>, or iron pot in which the water is heated.
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 379
citation
Cunningham, Michael R. <em>The Triumph of Japanese Style: 16th-Century Art in Japan</em>. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Published by the Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with the Indiana University Press, 1991.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 137
citation
Takeuchi, Junʼichi 竹内順一, and Dean Robson. <em>Oribe, iwayuru Oribeizumu ni tsuite: Gifuken Bijutsukan kaikan 15-shūnen kinenten</em> [織部, いわゆるオリベイズムについて : 岐阜県美術館開館 15周年記念 = Oribe, (re)searching "Oribeism" : special exhibition for the 15th anniversary of the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu]. Gifu-shi: Gifu-ken Bijutsukan, 1997.
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:32:56.923000
sourceId
147072
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Stoneware with underglaze iron oxide slip decoration (Mino ware, Shino type)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f3597d9c1995963c