YAMAZARA（MOUNTAIN DISH）/ SAKE CUP, Sanage kiln, a, Kamakura Period（1185–1333CE）

The Sanage kiln, which began producing Sue ware during the late Kofun period, ultimately faded from prominence around the end of the Kamakura period. As a central kiln site in the Tokai region, it has left behind an extensive array of ceramic wares, unmatched in any other area for the duration and scale of its production. Within the significant transition from Sue ware to ash-glazed pottery, the Sanage kiln played a crucial role in the medieval period, serving as the progenitor of the Seto and Tokoname kilns, and later, in the early modern period, the Mino region, thus holding a vital place in the history of Japanese ceramics.
This piece is a mountain dish from the Sanage kiln, dating back to the Heian to Kamakura periods. It showcases the unique, cool-toned ash-fired clay characteristic of Sanage pottery.