Yuan–Ming dynasty, China (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 China, these containers were used as pots for medicine and oil, but Japanese tea masters used them to store tea.
This Chinese tea caddy is well-proportioned, with a pleasing roundness and rich, generous curves. A mixture of tea-brown and black-brown glazes have been used here to splendid effect.
It was first acquired by Sakai Tadakatsu, the first lord of the Shōnai Domain, from Itsutsuya Chuzaemon in 1626, and later passed onwards to the Homma family.