Shino bowls were fired in the Mino region of Gifu Prefecture in the Momoyama period. The soft white of a thickly applied feldspar glaze, with the orange hi-iro (fire colour) of the body showing through in places, makes them emblematic of Momoyama aesthetics.
History
Shino was the first white-glazed ware produced in Japan and is the representative Mino ware of the Momoyama period. Lines include e-Shino (painted), nezumi-Shino (grey), aka-Shino (red), and nerikomi-Shino, with e-Shino's plain iron painting a particular attraction. Arakawa Toyozo's revival of Shino in the Showa period is a landmark in the history of modern Japanese ceramics.
Types
The thickness and crazing of the feldspar glaze, the fire colour, the iron painting of e-Shino, and the grey glaze of nezumi-Shino are the points of interest. Lightness in the hand combined with the texture of the glaze gives an impression no other ware produces.
In practice
Shino suits gatherings that take Momoyama taste or the plainness of white as their theme, and the fire colour reads well against winter arrangements.
Sources
- 志野焼（日本大百科全書 / 精選版 日本国語大辞典） / コトバンク
Supports: 桃山期の美濃諸窯で焼かれ、天正年間（1573〜92）の大萱窯のものがとくに優れるとされること。絵志野・鼠志野・紅志野・赤志野などの種別があること
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