Light blue porcelain Bodhisattva

Early fourtheenth century. 

Surviving height: 13 cm (reconstructed as 20 cm); width: 10 cm. 

Produced at the Jingdezhen kiln in Yuan Dynasty China. Thought to be portrayed as sitting on a boulder draped in cloth, with the hands resting on the knees in a mudra of meditation. Accessories depicted as jewels and flowers adorn the body, and the sleeve of the garment drapes down to the seat. As examples of Yuan period light blue porcelain Bodhisattvas are virtually unknown in Japan, this is an important item for considering the trade, circulation of goods, and culture of the time. In the reconstructed drawing, the white portions are those actually recovered.

Buddhist paraphernalia and other items of choice of priests
Warring States period, fifteenth ∼ sixteenth centuries.

1. Portable stone brazier (height: 23.8 cm; diameter: 39.5 cm). 2. Tea mortar. 3. Seto-Mino ware tenmoku-glazed tea bowl. 4. Seto-Mino ware tea caddy. 5. Inkstone. 6. Huanan sancai brush rest. 7. Stone basin. 8. Copper rokki bowl. 

As Buddhist paraphernalia utilized by the priests, copper dishes (rokki) for placing on a Buddhist altar and prayer beads were recovered. As utensils favored by the priests, there were stationary goods (inkstones, ink, brushes, brush rests) and tea ceremony utensils (tea mortars, tea urns, tea caddies, tenmoku-glazed tea bowls, braziers), basins for flower arranging and Chinese high quality ceramics for decorating a sitting room. In addition, fragments of armor and projectile points were recovered, probably used by warrior monks.

Utensils of daily life
Warring States period, fifteenth ∼ sixteenth centuries.

1. Echizen ware jar (height: 46.9 cm; diameter: 38.1 cm). 2. Echizen ware mortar bowl. 3. Seto-Mino ware grating dish. 4. Ladle. 5. Knife. 6. Cutting board. 7. Celadon dish. 8. Seto-Mino ware bowl. 9. Celadon bowl. 10. Qinghua ware bowl 11. Celadon dish. 12. Porcelain dish. 13. Celadon lobed dish 14. Qinghua ware dish 15. Seto-Mino ware dish. 16. Porcelain small bowl. 17. Chopsticks and chopstick rest. 18. Stone foot warmer. 19. Unglazed earthenware sake cups.

The bulk of the items recovered from the remains of residences are articles of daily life. Echizen ware, from the ancient province of Echizen where Heizenji was located, was used for storage jars and cooking utensils such as mortar bowls, and cooking was evidently done with the aid of cutting boards, knives, and wooden ladles. For tableware, stoneware of Chinese manufacture was utilized more than domestic Seto-Mino ware. Also, in order to overcome the severe winters, stone foot warmers and ceramic charcoal braziers were used.

source archaeology.jp