China
Yuan to Ming dynasty (14th–15th century)
Acquired in 1965 (donated by the Homma family)
Chinese tea containers were imported to Japan starting in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) and were particularly prized during the Muromachi period (1333–1573). In their place of origin in China, these containers were used as pots for medicine and oil, but it is said that Japanese tea masters used them to store tea.
This particular tea container was acquired by Tadakatsu Sakai, the first lord of the Shōnai Domain, in 1626 (Kan’ei 3) from Itsutsuya Chūemon in exchange for 330 large gold coins. It was later passed down from the Sakai family to the Homma family.