Vintage ceramic kogo incense box, plum blossom, Shigaraki or Iga ware, Japan

Small and cute box for keeping incense, called kogo, originally used in the tea ceremony. Hand modeled coarse red stoneware with small sediment and mineral inclusions. White irregular glaze caused by feldspar inclusions in the clay that melted during the firing and dripped over the outside. The overall shape is an irregular cylinder which turns into a plum blossom when seen from the top, with three clusters of stamen.

Ash glaze inside the lower part of the box. Small, shallow impressed seal in the shape of'i-no-me' (boar's eye, more or less heart-shaped).

The foot has been shaped to show the shame boar's eye as to mark the kiln. Most likely Shigaraki ware, possibly Iga ware. H 2.1 x W 2 in.