Master potter Tatsuzō Shimaoka created the textured patterning on this stoneware tea bowl by impressing rope into the damp clay prior to firing the piece in the kiln.
Japanese art forms the core of the Museum’s mingei holdings, with more than 3,000 items.
Highlights
These charming beckoning cats are not waving hello, but are giving a sign that one’s fortune could change.
Woven akebi vine. The akebi vine is softened with water from hot springs until it becomes soft and pliable.
The indigenous Ainu of Hokkaido in Northern Japan used these wooden, sacred objects as a medium to send prayers to gods or spirits.
This small wooden plaque would have been left at a Shinto or Buddhist shrine as a prayer. Supplicants believed that the octopus, with its many small suckers, could cure warts and various diseases and would give up eating it in exchange for recovery.
The bold lobster and wave design on this indigo dyed yogi was created using the traditional tsutsugaki rice paste resist technique.