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Crane's neck vase entitled Whirlpool (Uzumaki)
Crane's neck vase entitled Whirlpool (Uzumaki)

Crane's neck vase entitled Whirlpool (Uzumaki)

Artist Miura Chikusen IV Japanese, 1911 - 1976
Place of OriginJapan
Dateapprox. 1931-1976
CultureJapanese
MaterialsPorcelain with cobalt pigment under clear glaze
DimensionsH. 7 7/8 in x Diam. 3 3/4 in, H. 19.7 cm x Diam. 9.5 cm
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Lucius H. Horiuchi in honor of Margery Curry, poet, and her husband R. Eugene Curry, educator
Object number1989.38.2
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsCeramics
On View
Not on view
Text Entries

This type of vase is called tsurukubi (“crane’s neck”) because of its cranelike long neck. It typically has a small opening, no handles, a long, narrow neck, and a bulging lower body. It seems like a simple shape to create, but a long tube-neck is difficult to bake straight in a wood-fired kiln.

Miura Chikusen IV studied painting and ceramics at an art school in Kyoto before he inherited the family pottery business as the fourth-generation head in 1931.