When I first saw this Shino mizusashi, I was
reminded of a number of the post-war Mino potters like Arakawa and Kato Tokuro along
with some of their contemporaries that were creating works inspired by the
Momoyama aesthetic. This classically inspired pot relies on the past as much as
when it was made being both something old but something new at the same time.
Though an earlier work by Hori Ichiro it has all of the traits one expects on
his pots to this day, from strong and purposeful form to understated decoration
and exceptional glaze apllication and quality, though older, it still has the
determined strength of works he is currently producing. Hori's skillful use of
his underglaze iron and the apllied Shino glaze create a tremendous amount of
movement and complexity to the surface. Creating a vivid landscape as if he was
brushing an medieval ink brush painting, the atmosphere of the pot has that
feudal quality that any Momoyama specialist would be pleased with and I am
reasonably sure that viewer and user alike would be more than content for a
face to face encounter.
.JPG)