A remarkable Shodai ware vase with streaking glaze on brown glaze fired in current Kumamoto prefecture in the mid-Edo period. The iron-rich clay and the bold hand-molding technique are characteristic of the old kilns at the foot of Mount Shodai. The blue streaking glaze dripping down the ridge of the body resembles a landscape of nature, and its ethereal aspect would enhance wild flowers in the room.

The Shodai ware has attracted Mingei collectors but the shape of this vase, with the crane’s neck extending straight out from the spherical body, is rare not only in Shodai ware but also in other Kyushu kilns. It has several clay attachments and particular natural alteration during the kiln process but there are no other defects.