Southern Song dynasty (13th century)
Donated by the Homma family
This type of tea container is referred to as an eggplant tea container due to its round, slightly bulging shape with a narrow, tapered mouth resembling an eggplant. Since eggplants were scarce at the time, it was said that this type of container was the most prized out of all Chinese tea containers. This eggplant tea container is covered with a black glaze, but there are subtle variations in the coloring, such as a dark reddish-brown on some parts of it. The origin of its name Tanabata is unknown, but it is said to have had its name during the lifetime of Masatada Kobori Gonjūrō (1625–94, art name Hōsetsu).