UNMISTAKABLE

There is something unmistakable about the conspicuous color of runny ash used by the Tokoname trio of Ezaki Issei, Osako Mikio and the maker of this pot, Takeuchi Kimiaki. The tones of greys, sandy tans and browns that wood fired Tokoname clay turns is partially covered in the green ash glaze of the Ezaki-mon added prior to firing. The glaze runs down the pot to liven up the surface and form adding its unique signature appearance to the mizusashi and with Takeuchi, he was quite adept at marrying these textures for maximum effect. In most of his works, there is a classical and graceful presence to the pots drawing heavily on documented archetypes, his master's pottery and his own sense of visual vocabulary adding his own voice to the Tokoname tradition. It is easy to look at this profound mizusashi and imagine it in use during tea ceremony with the glassy drips and runs painting a vivid scene of the ancient and the modern.

"Grace is savage and must be savage in order to be perfect." Charles A. Stoddard