National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

In 1965, these artifacts were discovered in a square grave within a natural levee situated on the left bank of the Hii River in the Izumo Plain. Human ashes along with two celadon bowls and a celadon dish were found inside the large stoneware urn, which had been sealed with a stone slab. The urn was buried in gravel, and a stone stupa appears to have formerly stood on top of the site. The two celadon bowls have deep interiors and were meticulously crafted with 25 lotus-petal-like grooves along the outside. They have a thick, even coating of a turquoise-colored glaze called celadon. The shallow dish with a wide rim is made from gray-white porcelain clay thickly coated in celadon glaze. The interior features delicate, petal-like grooves along the sides, and the bottom has a flowering plant imprinted in it. All the pieces have highly polished forms and glaze applications, suggesting they were fired at the Longquan kilns in China during the 13th century in the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). They are among the highest quality Chinese porcelain ever excavated in Japan. The large stoneware urn with a short neck and wide shoulders was fired in Japan at the Tokoname kilns in Aichi Prefecture in the 13th century during the Kamakura period (1185–1333).