Shino Teabowl with Bridge and House, known as “Bridge of the Gods” (Shinkyō)

Shino Teabowl with Bridge and House, known as “Bridge of the Gods” (Shinkyō)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This Shino-ware tea bowl has a linear design of a bridge and a Shinto shrine. The arched bridge is drawn with two parallel lines, and its pillars are indicated by four vertical strokes. The guardrails are represented by short lines emerging from the body of the bridge. The application of rich iron oxide under the thick white glaze creates the illusion of a misty landscape. Some Shino tea bowls with similar stylized compositions came to be associated with Chapter 45, “The Divine Princess at Uji Bridge” (Hashihime), referring to a female deity protecting the Uji Bridge, enshrined in the Hashihime Shrine on the bridge’s west side. This tea bowl can also be associated with the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Osaka.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Shino Teabowl with Bridge and House, known as “Bridge of the Gods” (Shinkyō)Shino Teabowl with Bridge and House, known as “Bridge of the Gods” (Shinkyō)Shino Teabowl with Bridge and House, known as “Bridge of the Gods” (Shinkyō)Shino Teabowl with Bridge and House, known as “Bridge of the Gods” (Shinkyō)Shino Teabowl with Bridge and House, known as “Bridge of the Gods” (Shinkyō)

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.