Covered water jar with pressed sides in Iga natural ash green glaze

The freshwater container (mizusashi) is used to replenish water in the kettle and rinse tea bowls at the close of the gathering. Often the first utensil carried into the tearoom during a tea gathering, this large vessel sets the tone for the host’s selection of utensils for a given occasion.

Fujioka Shuhei studied traditional Iga-ware pottery under Tanimoto Kosei (1916–2012). This freshwater container shows traditional Iga ware characteristics such as orange clay with stony inclusions and natural ash green glaze as well as modern taste such as jagged incisions across the vessel.