Illustrated is a rather simple, even straight forward guinomi by veteran
Iga potter; Kojima Kenji. The piece was thrown with a slight amount of rhythm
layered into the surface, a practical foot and the rest was done by knowing
where and how to fire the pot, after all, location is king. It may sound
simplistic and obvious but each and every pot fired in yakishime style has to
have its location and form well thought out prior to and during the loading
process. Any well made piece can be fired willy-nilly, but the best show that
their placement was thought out as to wrestle the absolute best from both pot
and firing. I have seen quite a number of pots by Kojima Kenji and for the
majority of his work, it is obvious that each piece, no matter how seemingly
insignificance, receives the attention it deserves to be the best it can be and
this simple guinomi is no exception. As I reflect on the wood fire potters that
I most admire, it is perhaps this quality that is a common denominator that
sets apart those who truly understand their kiln and firing and it shows on
nearly every pot that they fire.
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