Shino ware

Shino chawan tea bowl. From the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, acquired from Raphaël Collin

Shino incense container with sculpted figures of Jurojin with a crane and a tortoise in feldspar glaze. Produced in the late Edo period, early 19th century. Artist: Masaki Sozaburo (flourished early 19th century).

Shino ware (志野焼, Shino-yaki) is Japanese pottery and stoneware coated with Shino glaze. They were first made in Mino Province, in modern-day Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is identified by thick white glazes, red scorch marks, and a texture of small holes.

Shino ware is one of the Mino styles that dates to the late 16th century. Like other Mino wares, the Shino style is based on older Seto ware with changes to shape, decoration, and finish.

Forms are usually squat and cylindrical, thick but lightweight. Dishes, bowls, and tea utensils are most common.

Pieces can be grey, red, or white, painted with iron oxide or decorated with glaze.

Firings of Shino tend to be of lower temperature for a longer period of time, and then a slow cooling process. These conditions do not allow the glaze to melt fully, and the result is a thick glaze that often has a crawling pattern.

External links

• e-yakimono.net [1]
• Handbook for the Appreciation of Japanese Traditional Crafts [2]
• Momoyama, Japanese Art in the Age of Grandeur, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Shino ware