Illustrated is the interior of a chawan made by Furutani
Michio sometime between 1975 and 1985. The entire chawan is covered in a wet
coat of glassy green ash and the interior has a very even coat of glass with
one area of thick bidoro, where the ash has pooled. In order to get this
particular surface, the pot is plucked from the intense heat of the kiln and
allowed to cool quickly, allowing the ash to maintain its brilliant green
glassy quality. It is no small wonder why Furutani Michio was so highly
regarded for his Iga and Shigaraki works, his splendid firings and his
knowledge and mastery of kilns and kiln building. I am constantly amazed to see the ash, frozen
in that moment it is pulled out of the kiln which stands testament to the
potter's mastery of his craft and his exceptional timing.
You can see more
of this chawan over on my Trocadero website;
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