INSTANT ASSOCIATION

I have had this photo on the hard-drive for some time and decided it was time to put it up on my blog. I came across this doing some web surfing, I think I was specifically searching for Hamada Shoji and this pot showed up and it was an immdiate case of instant association. The reason I kept it, besides being a classic and nice example of Okinawan pottery was that I could not help but be reminded of Christmas by the overall appearance of the piece. To the best of my knowledge this mizusashi is not marked/ signed but has many of the classic signs of traditional modern Okinawan (Ryukyu) pottery with a heavily slipped body, carved decoration, addition of rich colored accents, iron and or gosu highlights, a good quality clear glaze and lastly overglaze enamel decoration. In this case the bright red and green overglazes coupled with the copper and cobalt washes and a tropical theme makes me think of a San Diego Xmas and despite knowing better, I can't help but think of this pot as the first Xmas Okinawan mizusashi that I have ever seen. Happy Holidays!