earthenware water jar; pot-bellied jar
A traditional fat-bodied, small-mouthed earthenware jar used for carrying water. Now mostly a historical or cultural term.
Long ago, people carried water from the well using a hotogi jar.
baby's first bath vessel
Specifically the water vessel used for a newborn's first bath, a traditional practice. Rare and culturally specific.
In some regions, the custom of using a hotogi for a baby's first bath still remains.
kanji 'jar' radical at left
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 缶 is used for its meaning 'earthenware jar', but the reading ほとぎ is a native Japanese word. The historical derivation is unclear.