KAPPABAN

When I think of Yoshitoshi Mori (1898-1992) my mind immediately goes to the striking kappaban stencil prints of great samurai warriors and battles as well as the evocative bijin prints he is so well known for. Mori covered a lot of ground in his mingei influenced prints and among some of his best works are the prints of the everyday; people at work and engaged in the business of living. This particular kappaban charged with energy, portraying a potter at work making a sizeable vase in his studio, oblivious to all but his pursuit, chasing after the nobility of the common. The print appears to present a pot being created by the coil and throw method which is a common practice in Japan and shows that despite the simplicity of the design, the attention to certain details was paramount to Mori to capture the essence of the image. Using only the color of the paper, black and brown, Yoshitoshi Mori shows us the noble pursuit of a potter and his creation at an elemental and pure level that is rarely seen.