Page 480 - Catalogue of the Edward Morse collection of Japanese pottery MFA BOSTON

inis-umjiLOGUE
320
SATSUMA (Cases 37 and 38 and Plate XXVI. 4305, 4309, 4313, 4315)
The Japanese usually designate the tea-jars by the name of the province in which
they were made. The conspicuous exceptions are Karatsu, Shigaraki, Takatori, and
Seto. Following this practice, the general name Satsuma will be retained for the tea-
jars of this province. Ninagawa recognized a double gourd-shaped tea-jar as Riumonji,
or Tatsumonji, from the place in which it was made. This tea-jar differs in no respect
from the other jars except in form. The collection includes many varieties; and,
while their various ages may be guessed at, the place of potting cannot be determined.
Many of the early ones were probably made at Tsuboya. One of the types of
Ninagawa resembles very closely in form a jar found among ancient Chinese pieces
discovered in caves in Borneo, an example of which is in the Trocadero Museum in
Paris. The distinguishing characteristics of the Satsuma tea-jars are their olive-green
glaze and left-hand thread-mark. Occasionally Tamba and Takatori tea-jars resemble
in a way the Satsuma type.
4299. Tea-jar. H. 4 in. Fine dark gray clay, light gray underglaze mottled with brown,
olive-brown overglaze flecked with white. 1600
4300. Tea-jar, nearly straight sides. H. 3 in. Fine reddish-brown clay, thick brown
underglaze, olive-green overglaze with large fawn areas. 1600
4301. Tea-jar. H. 2\ in. Thick and solid. Fine hard brown clay, thick olive-brown
glaze, showing rich brown inside. Concave bottom with four circles equidistant. 1600
4302-4304. Tea-jars. 1600-1630
4305. Tea-jar. H. 3jin. Ochre clay and underglaze ; chocolate-brown overglaze with splash
of luminous olive-brown glaze flecked with white. Smooth bottom, spur-mark annular. 1630
4306-4308. Tea-jars. 1630-1650
4309. Tea-jar, gourd-shaped, looped handles. H. 2\ in. Coarse buif clay, dull gray-drab
clay, whitish on handles and rim. Obscure thread-mark. 1665
Type Ninagawa. Part III., Fig. 26.
This is the jar that resembles in form the ancient Chinese-Borneo specimen in the
Trocadero Museum.
4310. Tea-jar. H. 3f in. Light reddish-brown clay, fawn underglaze, rich olive-brown
overglaze, strongly flecked with white with bluish tinges. 1680
4311. 4312. Tea-jars. 1680
4313- Tea-jar, gourd-shaped. H. 3I in. Reddish-brown clay, dark fawn underglaze,
lustrous olive-brown overglaze with area of light blue fleckings. 1680
Recognized by Ninagawa as Riumonji.
Reddish-brown clay, olive-green glaze mottled with J
4314. Tea-jar. H. 3^ in.
olive-brown overglaze running. Smooth bottom. 1700 f
4315. Tea-jar. H. j,\ in. Two small knobs on shoulder. Brown clay, thick y^
dull purplish-brown glaze. Strong right-hand thread-mark. 1725 ^"^
Type Ninagawa. Part III., Fig. 27.
4316. Tea-jar. H. 2% in. Dark drab clay, dull olive-brown underglaze, glistening dark
brown overglaze running into rich fawn flecked with white. Ta and ? (inc.). 1730
4317-4325- Tea-jars. 1730-1830