This is a Sometsuke tokkuri (sake bottle) from Hirashimizu-yaki. Please refrain from purchasing if you are looking for perfection or are overly concerned about minor imperfections, as there are cracks, hairline cracks, and kiln marks. Those who understand and appreciate older items are welcome to purchase. About Hirashimizu-yaki: The founding date is unclear, but it is said to have begun in the Bunka era when Ono Tojihei of Hitachi visited Heisen-ji Temple in Hirashimizu and was welcomed by the chief priest and landowner Niwa Jizaemon. He built a kiln within the grounds of Heisen-ji Temple. At Heisen-ji Temple in Hirashimizu, there remain a large ash-glazed incense burner made by Ono Tojihei, the founder of Hirashimizu-yaki, and several small dishes with landscape and autumnal grass designs. Tojihei taught his techniques to the local people, and many kilns were born in Hirashimizu. In the "Yamagata Shokushiki Nedage Chosho" of the Tempo 13th year, there are records of Hirashimizu-yaki tea bowls, plates, and suzu tokkuri being traded at general stores in the castle town of Yamagata. In the Koka 1st year, Ono Tojihei, Ito Tojuro, a large landowner in Iwanami, a neighboring village of Hirashimizu, and Watanabe Gohei of Hirashimizu, succeeded in making porcelain with the technical guidance of Chiyotaro Yamauchi, who was born in Aizu, and Matsuura, who was from Amakusa. After that, they added Jinpei Matsumoto of Hizen, Isuke from Kirikomi in Miyagi Prefecture, and ceramic painters from Okazaki, and the production of porcelain in Hirashimizu developed. The kilns in Hirashimizu were at their peak in the mid-Meiji period, with more than twenty kilns having climbing kilns. During the Meiji era, Okuyama Sanzo, Aida Yasoji, Watanabe Bun'emon, Abe Sotaro, and Takahashi Shichiemon were active at the Sakuma Jiemon kiln and produced many porcelains. Later, Masayama Takahashi, Sadagoro Niwa, and Shinbei Niwa learned techniques in Kyoto, Kutani, and Seto areas and worked on the production of red-painted ware, thin sometsuke plates, etc. The Hirashimizu pottery industry, which had been thriving until the mid-Meiji period, gradually became difficult to continue producing porcelain due to the wave of "downward goods," which were inexpensive mass-produced products. In order to make the clay excellent, expenses were required, and they began to use a lower-grade clay to produce sometsuke natto bowls (thick plates, 24-30 cm in diameter), one-sho suzu tokkuri, water jars, and ceramic bathtubs. Also, to make them look like porcelain, they applied engobai (white slip) to finish them white, and made small items such as cobalt sometsuke and inban-de, and changed their sales routes to the north, such as Tohoku and Hokkaido. Size: Height approx. 27cm By purchasing immediately, it is assumed that you have agreed to the purchase, so please look at the photos carefully before purchasing to avoid any disappointment such as "it's different from what I expected" after purchase. #tokkuri #sake vessels #Edo period #Late Edo period #Meiji period #Tohoku pottery #Folk craft #Mingei #Yamagata #Porcelain #Antique