BEACON

I would like to have started out by saying, took a number of photographs of this Iga mizusashi that came my way but that just wouldn't be the truth. A collector I know found this photo on the internet and sent it my way and I was struck by the fact that I certainly would like to handle this pot and see the richness of the surface and wide array of effects from running glass to areas of  charcoal scorching and a little bit of everything in between. Like many of Furutani Michio's pots, this piece shows evidence of the tumultuous firing process with debris attached and an area that runs green where ash built up and ran down to pool on the slight recesses of the shoulder creating nothing if not a reminder of medieval pottery brought to life in the 20th century. With every pot I see, I am constantly amazed at the truth, the beauty and power of modern wood fired pottery especially Shigaraki and Iga; it is the uncompromising dedication  and vision that makes potters like Furutani Michio the benchmarks and beacon of their respective traditions.

"Truth is truth to the end of reckoning." William Shakespeare