Collecting anything can be a very fluid and ever changing
state. Though I still have the very first chawan that we bought, there have
been a variety of pieces that have come and gone, like seasons for collecting.
Sometimes it has nothing to do with the quality of the pot, rather there is no
connection to the piece or it just doesn't suit our direction or environment.
Yesterday, I received another small collection to sell as the collector has
decided to pursue a very specific pathway and the pieces no longer fit these
parameters. I think this is very common among collectors as the need to collect
in a specific field for a while before concluding how and what it is that they
wish to focus on. There is a very natural learning period in any field and then
when you actually come up with a plan, what is next, down sizing.
This collection runs the gamut from the Edo period to
present day and includes Raku-yaki, Shigaraki, Bizen, Takatori, Mino and Mashiko
pottery. Illustrated is a group shot of, from left to right, a Shigaraki chawan
by Takahashi Rakusai IV, a Mashiko henko by Hamada Shinsaku and a Bizen chawan
by Isezaki Mitsuru.
.JPG)