Tea caddy

京焼 {Kyōyaki} Kyoto ware; Nonomura Ninsei remains one Japan’s most renowned potters and was one of the first to mark his works with his name. Ninsei learned his craft at kilns in Seto—an important center of pottery production at which several other works on view in this gallery were made—before moving to Kyoto and setting up his own kilns near the temple Nin’naji in the western part of the city. Ninsei’s highly refined works include colorful pieces decorated with overglaze enamel, as well as more subdued works such as this tall katatsuki (straight shoulder) shape tea caddy that includes two shades of brown glaze covering the neck and body, giving way to unglazed clay at the bottom.