MOKU-TSUBO

Illustrated is a very stark and bold panel with the single kanji for TSUBO carved into the wood and then covered in what appears to be a pure white gofun (glue and powdered oyster shell) that is painted into the carved recess of the character. The tsubo kanji is flanked on the lower left by a carved seal painted in red which complements the panel rather nicely. Though not carved by Kato Tokuro,  he provided a calligraphy sheet which was then transferred on to the panel and carved by a professional wood carver. The rear is attested in ink by the carver that Kato Tokuro created the original art work for this panel. Having seen a number of calligraphies by Kato Tokuro, the carver has done a wonderful job capturing the attitude, posture and sincerity of the potter/calligrapher at his best. All in all, a wonderful panel that would look marvelous guarding over a tsubo in almost any setting.