I remember the first pot that I ever saw by Tokuda
Yasokichi III, it was a long time ago and was part of an exhibit that was also
showing pieces by Hara Kiyoshi, Udagawa Hosei and another potter who I just can
not name at the moment and never saw his pots ever again. The Tokuda was an
elegant, large gourd form vase with a brilliant assemblage of colors complimenting
and provoking the lines of the piece, it was quite wonderful and did I mention
large? Over the years I have seen a disproportionate number of vases in all
shapes and sizes and lots of plates as well but mizusashi and chawan, few and
far between. I am certainly not suggesting in any way that his chawan and
mizusashi are "rare" or "scarce" as I have seen them all
over the internet and in catalogues and books but I can count the chawan I have
seen on one hand and about the same for mizusashi. The illustrated chawan is an
earlier work by Tokuda with a deep, rich purple ground accented with copper
greens and blues and even white punctuating the bowl. The bowl is simple in
execution but a perfect ground for his brilliant glazing and enameling to which few
can match his technique and craft. Though I have not seen many Tokuda Yasokichi
III chawan first hand, I can say without any hesitation, they have never been
anything less than a rewarding conversation in color, space and form.
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