Square bottle, 17th century, Unknown Japanese, 10 3/8 × 7 × 7 in. (26.35 × 17.78 × 17.78 cm), Shōdai ware; stoneware with white glaze, Japan, 17th century, Tradition holds that Shōdai wares were first made under the direction of the warrior Katō Kiyomasa (1562-1611), who is said to have invited Korean potters to his domain in far western Japan and opened a kiln at the base of Mount Shōtai. Although the veracity of this particular story is undetermined, it is a fact that Korean potters were active in Kyūshū by the end of the sixteenth century, and Shōdai works such as this bottle (probably used as a sake container) do suggest the influence of the Korean ceramic tradition.