TWO SIMPLE CUTS

Each and every chawan dictates what type of kodai that is appropriate to finish off the piece. When it comes to kodai, it is the less is more style that impresses, no muss, no fuss and the finished foot is fresh, casual and spontaneous. That being said, I love a strong yet casual pot with a casual kodai that looks like it was cut in two simple cuts and in the case of this Suzuki Goro kodai, that is exactly the case. Using a broken off piece of wood, shaped like a chisel, the fist cut goes around the outside of the foot to define it and the interior cut flows quickly removing the excess clay to finish the kodai. This photo is a screen capture from a DVD on Suzuki Goro and the whole process is fast, bold and an exercise in total commitment. The end result is a kodai that matches well with the bowl shape and is probably the result of 50+ years of making thousands of chawan; at some point one is bound to get the knack of it.