Water Jar, 16th century. Echizen Kiln. Stoneware with natural ash glaze (Echizen ware). Purchase: the Edith Ehrman Memorial Fund.
Since the 13th century, village kilns in central Japan have been producing this type of sturdy ceramics for use by farmers and commoners. Echizen remains one of the most important kilns. Echizen ware such as this is admired for its rustic appearance, the irregular, hand-built shape and its surface with an ash glaze that drips down the side to create a rich texture. This glaze formed in the kiln as bits of ash from firing wood floated about the kiln and settled on the pots. In those areas where the ash residue was thickest, the glaze turned into streams.
