Antique Japanese Mino Ware Bowl 14C Shirashi Kasugai Staple Repair Sanage PCP248

Antique Japanese Mino Ware Bowl 14C Shirashi Kasugai Staple Repair

This is a Mino ware bowl dating from the late Kamakura period to the early Muromachi period. It is of the white porcelain type (shira-shi). White porcelain (shira-shi) is a high-fired ash-glazed porcelain produced primarily in the Tokai region, particularly at the Sarage kiln (Sange) in Aichi Prefecture, from the late Nara period to the Heian period. There are similar pieces in the reference materials at hand, and this particular piece was excavated from the Meiwa 1st kiln site in Tajimi City.

The faint ash glaze remains on the rim, and there is a section that has oxidized and turned red, which is a notable feature of this piece. A particularly rare characteristic of this work is the traditional repair method (Kasugai-Naoshi) done around the early Showa period, which is thought to be close to the time of its excavation. This restoration method, involving metal staples to rejoin cracks, is no longer practiced today and adds to the historical charm and character of the artifact.