White porcelain cup with a ring-shaped handle and three legs in the shape of animal legs. The similar work was excavated from the tomb dating from the first half of the 8th century. This shape is not original to pottery. It is thought that this is an imitation of metal wares, due to the ring-shaped handle and animal feet often seen on metal wares from the same period. Although no metal vessels with the same shape as this work have been found, the shape of a shallow cup with three legs and a handle is similar to a vessel called “Cheng” in China. The gold item was unearthed from a warehouse in Hejia cun, Shaanxi Province, the famous archeological site where a large quantities of valuable items were unearthed. This one from Tokiwayama collection may also have been a variations of “cheng.”

Publications
*The Bulletin of the Chinese Ceramic Study Association of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation vol.7 Early White Porcelain, Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, 2018 (see commentary by Sarah Sato)
*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)