A TOKONAME SURFACE

Illustrated is another pot by Tokoname legend, Osako Mikio. This evocative hanaire first had a glaze applied and then was fired in the fire-mouth of his wood kiln. The sometimes subtle, ash coated pot has given way to a molten yet luminescent surface of varying hues reminiscent of some long buried Roman glass. The complex nature of the surface is tempered by the simplicity of form, another trademark of the potter. Though I have not seen this pot in person, I handled a chawan a long while back with a nearly identical surface and I can say, it makes for a wonderfully rich Tokoname surface that has a great deal to say both visually and to the sense of touch.