At first glance, I wasn't sure what this chawan was; I
thought I was looking at one of those early Showa period pieces that was made
in imitation of the late Edo and Meiji period Oribe chawan. It had that
crackaleur style whitish opaque glaze and shiny rich green. To my surprise, it
turned out to be a chawan, a very early chawan by Suzuki Goro. Made in the
early 1970s, this piece shows the free and loose style of throwing he is so
well known for together with spontaneous brushwork and casual glazing. The
foot, though just a bit stiff, has the glint of things to come in terms of
Suzuki's handling of kodai today and all in all, it is a solid pot, early on in
the career of one of the most popular potters in Japan today. I can only
imagine it would feel great in the hand or look fine just hanging out.
.JPG)