TORUKO-AO HACHI

Illustrated is a wonderful Persian blue shallow bowl (Toruko-ao hachi) on a pedestal foot by Ningen Kokuho; Kato Takuo. The rim is decorated with flowers and birds while the center depicts a noble Persian prince astride an Arabian stallion, the black underglaze has a slight blue hue to it as it peers through the rich glaze. I have seen a large number of Kato Takuo's toruko-ao pots and each one has a sense of ageless nobility to them and though heavily decorated, each one has an appropriateness showing no signs of an heavy handiness. Kato new exactly how much design/decoration a pot could handle and what was needed to depict his intent and never wasted a single brush stroke. For Kato Takuo, like so many other potters, big things are still made up of all the minute details.