Collection
Tsurukubi-type Chaire Tea Container
| Tsurukubi-type Chaire Tea Container |
| Height 8.0 cm, mouth diameter 3.0 cm, maximum diameter 5.8 cm; China, Song dynasty, 13th century; Gift of the Ii Family |
This tea container has a bulging body and a straight long neck of the tsurukubi (crane-necked) type. In his catalogue of tea utensils, Ii Naoaki recorded in his own hand that he purchased it from a “merchant in the town of Nagahama [in Hikone domain].” It is said to have been handed down through generations of a family descended from well-known tea master Kobori Enshū. Clay shows on the lower quarter of the body and grooves encircle the upper neck as well as below the bulge. The blackish glaze displays a mottled effect like quail feathers. Traces of repair can be seen around the neck.
