Illustrated is a slab and coil
built Shigaraki henko by veteran potter, Furutani Churoku IV (b.1922). The
vivid green glass and wadding scars together with the texture created when the
piece was constructed create a wonderfully rich landscape and surface that
brings the pot to life. The vertical form is a creative play on the slab henko
most often associated with Furutani Michio, but these hand built forms pre-date
both potters. Churoku IV, Furutanai Hiromu, is the fourth generation to work in
Shigaraki and he was trained by his father and took the Churoku name in 1976.
His works have been exhibited both regionally and across Japan as well as in
England and Germany and he is best known for his traditional pursuit of tea
ceramics, chadogu, as well as making tsubo based on old Shigaraki tea storage
jars. Furutani Churoku is a must stop if you are in the Shigaraki vicinity
where you can see a wide array of his pottery including his evocative hi-iro
style pots which he is also well known for. Glistening like a lichen covered
roadside Jizo stone statue after a rain storm, this henko makes me think of the
highways which passed through Shigaraki Valley from a time long passed.
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