Tokoname ware large kame jar

Explanation

This twelfth-century kame jar has an extremely small base area, on which the body was formed by coiling thick strips of clay, perhaps five to seven times over. Its shape is simple but delicate, with the body subtly inflated and the lip elegantly formed. The shoulder is textured by the hot ash and crumbs of the kiln wall that sprinkled over and turned into a natural glaze during the firing. The scorching patterns on the surface conjures up the wild flames at high temperatures in the kiln.