I
will admit, it can seem like I drone on about certain things, like details
perhaps. There is no escaping the fact that when I survey a pot, I am
particularly detail oriented though I would like to think that the sum of the
whole is not being missed during the process. I recently was studying a very
nice Tsujimura Shiro Iga mizusashi and was struck by the posture and attitude
of the pot along with the way it was thrown and the very fine firing it
received as a result of what one can only assume is exacting placement of the
piece. As I studied the pot, I kept coming back to the vibrant depth of the
glassy ash (yu-damari) ring which encircled the knob as it it was planned just
that way. Where the knob and the lid proper merged, there is a slight
depression which filled up around the protrusion to create a stunning visual
which invites the viewer to pick up the lid. Planned or serendipity, these are
the type of details that accumulate to create a wonderful pot and could we have
expected anything less from Tsujimura Shiro?
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