A bronze ritual ewer
Kamakura period (13th century)
The globular body, designed with two ornamental bands, the tapered neck ending in a wide mouth, the lid set with a lotus bud finial, the spout formed as a lotus stem set on a lotus-flower joint set on a circular, flaring foot; incised Saimyoji joju (collection of Saimyoji Temple) on base
10 ¾ in. (27.3 cm.) high
With wood box
Provenance
Saimyoji Temple, Kyoto, Japan
Lot Essay
This ewer is one of the utensils used for a monthly confessional ritual called fusatsu. Before the ritual begins, participants purified themselves by washing their hands with water from such a ewer.
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An Inquiring Mind: American Collecting of Japanese and Korean Art