19. Oribe small square plates with angled corners, set of five

19. Oribe small square plates with angled corners, set of five 

Light gray clay, with cream, green, and red glazes; the exterior is unglazed. Weight (of each): varies between 78 and 90 g (2.7–3.2 oz). Rim dimensions: 9 cm square (3-9/16 in); base dimensions: 6 cm square (2-1/4 in). Height: 1.7 cm (5/8 in).

Japanese plates usually come in sets of five. Four of the five plates here are identical; the fifth one appears much older. It is about an eighth of an inch smaller across the top; The clay is much darker. The central hollow on the bottom is larger. The flower shapes in the decoration have narrower petals. Overall there is a reddish cast to the ground, in contrast to the cream-colored ground in the other four.

Each plate has eight sloping sides above the central flat surface. Two opposing corners were covered in green glaze. In the four identical pieces, only a narrow piece of the outer surface is coated with the green glaze; in the odd one out, a larger section of the external area is covered (on the right in the third picture). The ground is a cream-colored glaze, with the decorations applied in a rusty red color using a brush. The rims of the dishes are also glazed with red where they are not coated with the green glaze. The decoration consists of three roughly painted rectangles, separated by narrow red lines, and a grid of lines with plum blossoms at some of the intersections. The decorations extend up the sides of the plates. Except for the bands of green, the exteriors were left unglazed. A slip was splashed across the exterior surfaces, but the coverage is very random.

These small dishes would be used for serving pickles or perhaps dipping sauces. This is a traditional shape and decoration scheme, often reproduced.

Purchased at the Japan Trade Center in San Francisco in the late 1980s or early 1990s.