While many vases of this shape have been passed down in Japan, they are rarely found in countries other than Japan, even in China where they were manufactured. There are many vases with ‘Mallet shaped body with phoenix-shaped handles’, but they are not uniform in terms of overall balance and phoenix making. In the case of this work, the most distinctive feature is the elaborately crafted phoenix-shaped handles. While there is a simplified phoenix, this work has fine details such as the eyes and beak of the face carved firmly. And the clear lines created by the thin neck give the vase sophisticated impression.
On the surface of the lid of the box, there is a note of authenticity of this vase attributed to Kanamori Sowa, a famous tea master in the early Edo period.

Publications
*Fascinating Chinese Ceramics: The Machida City Museum and Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation Collections, Machida City Museum, 2016 (see commentary by Sarah Sato)
*Sarah Sato ‘The History of Celadon Appreciation in Japan: As seen in the Southern Song Celadons in the Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation’, Kokka No.1354, Kokkasha, 2023
*Selected Masterpices from the Tresures of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, 2023 (see commentary by Keiko Mikasa)