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.
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