Chinese celadon incense burner CHIDORI

This is a celadon longquan-ware incense burner, once owned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. An anecdote about Ishikawa Goemon is relevant to Chidori. He was ordered to assassinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi by Kimura Hitachinosuke, a vassal of Toyotomi Hidetsugu (Hideyoshi’s nephew). One night Ishikawa Goemon finally succeeded in creeping into Hideyoshi’s bed room in Fushimi castle. But Hideyoshi realized Goemon was there because suddenly Chidori 'singing'. Ishikawa was caught by Hideyoshi’s samurai who ran to the scene, and he was then boiled to death in a cauldron (Kamayude) at Sanjogawara in Kyoto.

across: 9.1 cm

tall:  6.4 cm

origin: China

age: 13c

collection: Tokugawa art museum