Mino Ware Oribe Lidded Cup (Futamono) — Ivy Vines, Birds & Waves, Notched Foot

A small lidded cup in the Oribe style, the bold green-and-iron decoration born in the Mino kilns of Gifu in the Momoyama period. Lidded cups like this are used in Japan for chawanmushi (savoury egg custard), small dishes or tea, and also make a charming lidded pot.

Copper-green Oribe glaze is poured over parts of the rim, body and lid, pooling darkly in the throwing ridges. The cream crackled ground is painted freely in iron-brown: trailing ivy leaves with curling tendrils and a lattice on one side, bold vertical strokes on the other. On the lid, two birds fly over streaming wave lines. A twisted rope-like knob finishes the top.

The rounded body has softly ribbed shoulders and stands on a foot with a deliberate notch (wari-kōdai), a traditional feature, not damage. The interior is glazed in a warm honey tone.

Details:
• Style: Oribe ware (Mino tradition), unsigned
• Form: lidded cup with twisted knob, ribbed body, notched foot
• Glaze: copper-green Oribe glaze over a cream crackled ground
• Decoration: hand-painted iron-brown ivy vines, lattice and strokes; birds and waves on the lid
• Condition: good secondhand; crackle and glaze variations are natural. Two small white glaze skips near the foot (see photos)
• Care: hand-wash, dry thoroughly
• Dimensions: rim Ø approx. 7-8 cm, H approx. 10 cm with lid