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.
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