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Jar for Sutra Burial (Sankinko)

early 12th century
Not on view
Made at Tokoname, one of Japan’s oldest pottery centers, this jar was coil-built and then smoothed on a wheel, a process that inspired its regionally distinctive embellishment of three lightly incised rings. Colors ranging from pale blue to vernal green cloak thick layers of kiln-fused ash glaze. Buried sometime in the late Heian period, this jar protected a bronze cylinder containing precious Buddhist sutras and relics.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Jar for Sutra Burial (Sankinko)
  • Period: late Heian period (ca. 900–1185)
  • Date: early 12th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Stoneware with natural ash glaze (Tokoname ware)
  • Dimensions: H. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); W. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics
  • Credit Line: Dr. and Mrs. Roger G. Gerry Collection, Bequest of Dr. and Mrs. Roger G. Gerry, 2000
  • Object Number: 2002.447.12
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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