Shigaraki ware jar 

Shigaraki ware jar from the Taisho or Showa period, first half of the 20th century. H 35.5, D 31 cm. Signed with impressed seal on the bottom. Perfect condition.

 

A large and very attractive, broad-shouldered vase of Shigaraki stoneware. The surface is partly covered by a spotted, ocre-greenish glaze that has burned to a smooth, oily black. 

 

Shigaraki was one of the ancient centres of pottery producing domestic wares, in the area which now forms Shiga Prefecture. Robust, thick-walled Shigaraki ware has been made since the waning years of the Kamakura period (1185-1333). It is made with a sandy clay containing felspar which is distinctly visible through the ash glaze.

    Like it's close cousin Bizen, Shigaraki wares were originally daily utensils with tsubo, kame (wide-mouthed jars) and suribachi (grinding bowls) the main staples. Not until the tea masters of the Muromachi (1336-1568) and Momoyama periods (1568-1603) favored these natural wares did they develop into one of Japan's most loved ceramic styles.