Produced mainly at the Seto kilns in Aichi Prefecture, oil plates were special flat plates with a unique perpendicular edge. They were placed on the lower level of the andon lantern where they were used to catch oil drippings and soot from the burnt wick or oil feeder above. These plates were in use from the mid-seventeenth century, when andon were first used indoors, until the early 1900’s, when the use of oil lamps and electric lights became widespread.

Most andon plates feature the design known as “tetsu-e” (“iron pictures”), the freestyle images painted in iron-oxide pigments directly onto the clay, frequently of sparse landscapes or subjects from nature. Some, such as this plate, were also further decorated with the copper green Oribe glaze. This type of oil plate is known as a “katagake” (“shoulder glazing”), with the thick green glaze on the top part of the plate and the brown tetsu-e pictures on the bottom. Andon plates with green Oribe glaze were produced mainly in Akatsu Village, which made pottery for and was protected by the Owari clan.

The fascination of aburazara for the collectors of Japanese folk art lies in their painted motifs. Their simple designs always possessed a spontaneous vitality, and the decoration on this plate is large in scale and freely executed. Considered a quintessential example of Japanese ceramic folk art, Seto oil plates are represented in most major collections of mingei or Japanese folk ceramics. See “Andon (Lantern) Plates” by Yamazaki Masumi, the cover article in DARUMA 42 for many wonderful examples of these oil plates, including Figure 6, which is similar in style to this one.

Oribe ware, a folk pottery produced in kilns located in Mino and Seto, is particularly Japanese in taste and was never made for export. Its characteristics included bold and spontaneous designs and contours that were executed in styles that were distinct, imaginative and vigorous. Although the design, glazing and coloration were done in Oribe style, this dish could have come from other Japanese folk kilns. It is often difficult to identify the specific place of manufacture of many 19th century Japanese folk ceramics because the spread of technology from one area to another was a particularly distinctive feature of the early to mid-19th century. This gave rise to a situation in which ceramics of closely similar types were made all over Japan.

Kutani (“nine valleys”) is a small village in Kaga Province on the northwest coast of the main island of Japan with a long history of porcelain production. In 1823 the Yoshidaya Kilns were established at the site of an earlier Kutani kiln which had long since ceased production. Wares produced at this kiln were patterned after the Old Kutani wares and are known as Revival Kutani (“Saiko Kutani”) or as Yoshidaya wares (“Yoshidaya Yaki”). Many pieces produced by this kiln are very well potted with beautiful coloring, clearly showing a Chinese influence.

Always an important symbol of strength and courage in Chinese art, the tiger was considered supreme among the land beasts and was credited with the ability to fend off demons and ill fortune. In Japan, where the tiger (“tora”) was not indigenous, early beliefs regarding the animal followed the mold of China. Because tigers were only seen occasionally in traveling menageries in Japan, their representation in Japanese art was often less than realistic. Whatever the inspiration behind this artistic treatment of tigers, pre-modern Japanese artists generally depicted them in a highly stylized manner. This resulted in paintings and ceramics which portrayed an entire race of animals with somewhat unusual or exaggerated features, appearing more cat-like or even shishi-like than the potentially ferocious beasts they are.

For centuries, Bizen has been highly regarded for its dark red-brown stoneware made from iron-rich clay with a natural ash glaze. Bizen pottery is unglazed but fired at such a high a temperature that a natural glaze is formed on the surface. Also upon firing, wood ash flies up in the kiln and is deposited randomly on the pottery, giving each piece its own individuality and vitality. “Okimono” is the generic name for Japanese decorative objects which have no utilitarian function but are merely created to please the eye. They are usually of ceramic or metal, and most frequently represent animals, birds or human figures. (See “Bizen Okimono” by Robert L. Yellin in DARUMA 31.) It is quite rare to find Bizen ware figures of tigers.

Shino ware (“shino yaki”) is a type of Japanese pottery most identifiable for its thick milky-white glazes, red scorch marks and the texture of small holes. Originally developed in the late 16th century and produced in kilns in the Seto and Mino areas of Gifu Prefecture, Shino yaki was Japan’s first high-fired white-glazed pottery. The glaze, composed primarily of ground local feldspar and ash, produced a satiny white color. Mino ceramic te-aburi in rabbit form are found in important private and museum collections of Japanese folk ceramics, including the Morse collection in the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, and in the Jeffrey Montgomery Collection, widely considered to be the most important trove of Japanese folk art outside of Japan.

A te-aburi is a personal-size hand warmer, smaller than a conventional hibachi. The lower part of the warmer was filled with ash on which a few small, glowing pieces of charcoal were placed, thus heating the surrounding pottery walls. During the Meiji period, in homes where such luxuries could be afforded, custom demanded that whenever a visitor arrived in winter, the first act of hospitality would be to set a small personal warmer next to the guest to provide comfort in an otherwise unheated reception room. Te-aburi were made to be used by one of two persons at most. Even when unheated, this particular brazier projects a feeling of warmth because the maker created it in the form of a plump rabbit.

The rabbit or hare (“usagi”) is one of the twelve zodiac animals. Prior to modern times, it was fashionable in Japan to display or use some household object depicting the zodiac animal for the current year as a kind of talisman to ward off evil spirits and invite good fortune. When the Japanese look at the full moon, they see the figure of a rabbit rather than the face of the West’s “man in the moon.” According to Chinese Taoist legend, this is a white rabbit pounding out the elixir of immortality with a mortar and pestle.

Oribe ware, a folk pottery produced in kilns located in Mino and Seto, is particularly Japanese in taste and was never made for export. Its bold and spontaneous designs and contours were generally asymmetrically executed in styles that were distinct, imaginative and vigorous. Oribe pottery derives its name from Furuta Oribe, a famous 16th century tea master. His influence over the pottery production of his day led to the development of a certain type of ware that was later named after him, nearly all relating in some way to the tea ceremony.

Oribe ware, a folk pottery produced in kilns located in Mino and Seto, is particularly Japanese in taste and was never made for export. Its bold and spontaneous designs and contours were generally asymmetrically executed in styles that were distinct, imaginative and vigorous.

Incense (“ko”) played an important role in the tea ceremony, which provided a setting for the admiration of the utensils associated with it. Among the most charming of these were the kogo, small covered containers used to store aromatic wood chips which were burned at certain points during the formal tea ceremony. They were also sometimes set out as display objects within special waiting rooms where guests could relax before the ceremony began or during scheduled interludes. Exhibiting a great deal of imagination, careful observation of nature and a playful sense of humor, kogo naturally came to be enjoyed outside their role as objects to be used and admired in the tea ceremony. They were exchanged as gifts and treasured for their own sake, and their popularity gave rise to a seemingly endless variety of shapes and decorative styles.

The potters who made kogo took pride in creating highly original and often intricate forms. Many of the boxes have ornamental surface decorations, and others are treated as miniature sculptures. The production of kogo was at its peak during the first half of the 19th century. During this period, it was common practice for potters to sign or stamp their names on their work. The most extensive collection of antique Japanese ceramic kogo – more than three thousand -- can be found in The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. (See “Japanese Incense Boxes Rediscovered: The Georges Clemenceau Kogo Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.”) This piece was part of a private antique ceramic kogo collection which we acquired.

For centuries, Bizen has been highly regarded for its dark red-brown stoneware made from iron-rich clay with a natural ash glaze. Bizen is unglazed but fired at such a high a temperature that a natural glaze is formed on the surface. Also upon firing, wood ash flies up in the kiln and is deposited randomly on the pottery, giving each piece its own individuality and vitality. The beauty inherent in the unglazed, red-brown clay forms was often left untouched, giving the vessels the luster of burnished bronze. The height Bizen pottery was attained in the 18th century, and specimens from that period are much finer than subsequent works.

This important tokkuri is ex. collection R. B. Caldwell of Dallas, TX, a collector well known for his knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture, particularly in the area of tea ceremony ceramics.