A
fellow collector or rather someone who is buying pots to use, sent these two
photos which I assembled to give both views of the vase. The pot is an all
naturally fired Echizan hanaire by Kumano Kuroemon, the type he puts in his
blast furnace kiln without any glaze and as you can tell what is visible is the
rich purple surface of the pot with areas of running ash, rushing to the bottom
as the piece was fired together with an array of wad scars adding to the rustic
and powerful landscape. The pot stand guard in front of wind swept pine scroll
waiting for the ume blossoms to bloom come spring to fulfill the purpose of this
vase. There is another factor to this vase as it was selected by Kumano to
appear in the TOH #88 dedicated to his work (and vision) as a potter attesting
to the fondness and regard he must have had for this pot. I think it is safe to
say that with or without the vivid blossoms, this vase is more than enough to
get you through the winter months with something to have a pleasant fireside
chat with.
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