Page 325 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

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i6i8), and Goto lenobu of Hizen. In the bowls (cat. 246), popular in the early seven- outer edge of the rim, forming the ground
early 15905, Hideyoshi issued orders in- teenth century and associated with the for two triangular sections of parallel grass-
structing his officers to bring craftsmen prominent tea master Furuta Oribe (1544- like strokes at the base of the trunk.
with them upon their return to Japan from 1615). Oribe, who helped to popularize The tsubo (jar) from the Idemitsu Mu-
the Korean peninsula. Accordingly, Ko- Karatsu wares by using them himself at seum of Arts (cat. 249) is of a type com-
rean potters made their way to Hizen and tea gatherings, resided at Nagoya Castle in monly made for utilitarian storage, though
with the protection of the local rulers es- Hizen for eighteen months from 1592 to this example was probably employed as a
tablished kilns in many of its variously 1593. The castle was the expedition opera- mizusashi (fresh water jar). The body sits
held territories, including the Saga, tions base, located near the port of atop a ring foot, tapering from its pro-
Hirado, and Karatsu domains. Even prior Karatsu (not to be confused with Nagoya nounced, bulging mid-section to the
to the Korean invasions, such Korean- Castle on Honshu). Terasawa Hirotaka mouth whose narrow rim is delicately
influenced glazed ceramics seem to have (1563-1633), a retainer of Hideyoshi and a turned out. On the upper part of the jar, a
been made on a limited scale in Hizen at tea enthusiast, also served the war effort simple design of reeds, a common Karatsu
kilns near the Kishidake Castle of the Hata from Nagoya Castle and after the first motif, is rendered in fluid brushstrokes of
clan. Until they were ousted by Hideyoshi campaign was appointed daimyo of the underglaze iron.
in 1594 the Hata were rulers in the area. Karatsu domain, where he supported ce- The great prosperity enjoyed by the
They had long engaged in trade and piracy ramic production. Hizen Karatsu kilns during the early part
with Korea and China. The great expan- The two examples of Karatsu ware in of the seventeenth century suffered due
sion of ceramic production following the the exhibition are decorated with designs to the growth in popularity of native por-
Korean expeditions, however, is well re- painted in underglaze iron oxide. The celains, first fired in Hizen. The number
flected by the excavated sites of over one large dish from the Umezawa Kinenkan of kilns making Karatsu pottery decreased
hundred Hizen kilns where a variety of (cat. 248) is potted from sandy clay, its shal- and most of those remaining made utilitar-
types of Karatsu ware was made. low curving bowl stepped up to a wide un- ian wares. In the Karatsu domain, some
Utilitarian vessels were the mainstay dulating rim pinched at irregular intervals. kilns fired ceramics commissioned by the
of the Karatsu kilns. Tea men were drawn Typical of many large Karatsu dishes, the daimyo for presentation to the shogunate
to their unpretentious beauty and adopted ring foot is small for the size of the vessel or other daimyo, a practice that is said to
them for use in the tea ceremony. Over it supports. Except for the foot and the have begun as early as the tenure of Tera-
time, vessels for the tea context were com- area immediately surrounding it, the dish sawa Hirotaka and continued despite peri-
missioned, including those in styles that is completely covered with a mixed feld- odic interruptions until the Meiji
can also be found at other Japanese kilns, spathic and ash glaze. A sinuous pine tree Restoration, even as the post of daimyo of
such as kutsugata, or "shoe-shaped," tea- meanders over the dish interior, throwing the Karatsu domain passed from one clan
some of its branches up along the rim of to another. AMW
the dish. An uneven line encircles the

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