OPEN TO INTERPRETATION

The simple wood box has written only four kanji and a vermillion red seal, it reads; CHAWAN, SEIMEI. At a certain level, the style of the bowl is open to interpretation but if you look at it and know the potter, it bares the unmistakable bearing of an E-Garatsu chawan infused with wonderful color and casual brushwork and form. If you exclude the more sculptural works of Tsuji Seimei, a great many of his pieces are about subtlety and baring the forms for either simple glazing or wood firing, these works have a profound quality to them where they resonate substance, purpose and even calm. It is easy to get mired in adjectives regarding his pottery, but as you look at this simple and elegant chawan, each and every viewer will have new descriptors to add to the list. Tsuji Seimei has left a large body of work that travels along a pathway which he built one stone at a time, lined with clay and fire and a thorough understanding of the flesh and bones of his chosen craft.

"Beware that you do not lose the substance by grasping at shadows."  Aesop