Sungoku (Song Hu Lu) Small Pot, 12th-16th Century

The pottery produced in the ancient kiln site of Si Satchanalai in Thailand since the 14th century was loaded onto ships and brought to Japan during the Momoyama period to early Edo period. It was known as "Sung-Ko-Lok" in Japanese, and the tea practitioners of that time highly valued and treasured it as tea utensils. Sung-Ko-Lok ceramics were heavily influenced by the Longquan kiln system of the Song and Yuan dynasties in China, with a wide range of celadon and blue and white wares. They were mainly made of semi-porcelain clay with ash glaze, iron decoration, and white slip. This item is a charming small jar with attractive speckled iron glaze.