China and Japan have had a long relationship since the Han Dynasty. In the same manner that Monk Jianzhen’s east journey, brought to Japan Buddhism, traditional Chinese medical science, architecture, painting and calligraphy skills, implements and artworks were also shipped to the land of the rising sun in addition to ceramics.

The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, as its name suggests, is a museum dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and researching oriental ceramics. The strength of Chinese ceramics in the museum’s collection lies in the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, exactly the period during which ceramic art enjoyed its most brilliant successes as it grew to full maturity. Although it is not large in scope, the collection has important works representing each period and results in a collection of remarkably high concentration, one which indeed may be called a “Treasure house of Oriental ceramics”.

JAR: Earthenware with Applied Medallions under Three-Color Glaze

Tang Dynasty 7th-8th Century        h.30.9cm

The three baoxiang-hua medallions applied to the body of this jar stand out brilliantly under the fantastically mottled glaze, brown and green with white spots. The medallions were applied after press molding. The medallions on the “Bottle with Dragon Lugs, Three-Color Glaze,” an Important Cultural Property in the Yokogawa Collection of the Tokyo National Museum were made from a similar type of mold. This jar was covered with a white slip before glazing. The colorful glaze stops midway down the lower portion, achieving a delicate balance. The mouth and interior of the jar are glazed with a yellowish white glaze. A similar jar is in the Art Institute of Chicago, and a lidded jar which employs a slightly different glazing technique has been excavated at Jinjiagou, Luoyang, Henan Province.

BASIN: Porcelain with Carved Lotus Design

Ding Ware     Northern Song Dynasty 11th Century     d.24.5cm

This may appear to be a deep bowl, but the wide area of the base indicates that it is a basin. The lotus design is delicately carved, beveled and combed, to appear faintly against the ivory white surface which is unique to Ding ware. The pot is altered slightly with six vertical lines, making it melon-shaped. The clay is extremely fine, with almost no impurities, making it impossible for this pot to be thrown very thinly, and it is surprisingly light for its size. It did not warp in firing because it was fired upside down, and the glaze on the lip was later grimed. We can see the potter’s masterful touch in the beveled trimming around the base and the thin, low trimming work on the foot.