Object

Relics of Tumulus (Sutra Mound)

Keio Object Hub
Date
制作年 AD12
Title
キョウヅカイブツイッカツ
Collections
Depository
Keio Museum Commons Campus Mita
Ref. number
AW-CEN-000465-0000
License
CC BY Images license
Creditline

慶應義塾(センチュリー赤尾コレクション)

URL
Classification
Art
AI Tagging
Vase Black Artifact Serveware Pottery

Exhibits were lumped down and handed down. Possibly they were all recovered from the same sutra mound. Back row, left (Height: 28.9㎝) is a bronze sutra cylinder with an umbrella-shaped lid. The double-tiered lid locks onto the cylinder’s top. A houshu (or houju), a spherical or pear-shaped object, with a short stalk is seen in the center of the lid. The most outstanding feature of this cylinder is its tall and slim body. From its design, this cylinder was most likely found in a sutra mound in northern Kyushu. Back row, center (Height: 35.8㎝) and right (Height: 38.8㎝) are types of celadon porcelain ware, but compared with the famous products from the celebrated government-run Long Quan (Jap. Ryusen) Kilns of China, the color of the glaze is inferior. The type of clay suggests that it was made during the Northern Song Dynasty at Yuezhou (Jp. Esshuu) Kilns in Zhejiang Province. The design is unique to the sutra cylinders found in mounds mainly in northern Kyushu. However, sutra cylinders are not known to have been passed down in China, so someone may have ordered this piece to be made in China for the specific purpose of preserving a sutra manuscript. Front row, left (Dia.: 10.2 ㎝) is a celadon lid with a bluish hue created at the famous Jingdezhen (Jap. Keitoku Chin) Kiln during China’s Southern Song Dynasty. It was obviously a lid of a sutra cylinder also made of blue celadon. Wavy stripes decorate the amply raised lid, which is fitted with a small knob in the center. Front row, right (Dia.: 10.5㎝) is a small lidded jar (Jp. gousu) produced at the Jingdezhen (Jap. Keitoku Chin) Kiln, one of the most famous during China’s Southern Song Dynasty. It features a generally thin and delicate body and a gracefully curved lid which is fitted with a small central knob. While the top part of the body is broad, its base is small, resulting in a sharp angle that contrasts well with the stable-looking outstretched base. Small jars often discovered in mounds often contained cosmetics and other small glass beads that the sutra mound’s petitioner would use in daily life. They serve as a good glimpse into the life of ancient aristocrats.

Rights

Ref. number
AW-CEN-000465-0000
License
CC BY
Creditline

慶應義塾(センチュリー赤尾コレクション)

Images
license

Depository and ID

Depository
Keio Museum Commons
Campus Mita
URL
Classification
Art

Components

OPEN DATADESIGN

Details

Identifiers

Title (EN)
Relics of Tumulus (Sutra Mound)

Physical description

Weights and quantities
Quantity 5口
Attachments
外箱寸法H28.0×W29.2×D41.5

Identifiers

Title (EN)
Relics of Tumulus (Sutra Mound)

Physical description

Weights and quantities
Quantity 5口
Attachments
外箱寸法H28.0×W29.2×D41.5