I
was recently reminded yet again that my blog is rather biased to which I admit,
that is absolutely true. The bias stems from my personal taste and experiences
and quite frankly there is nothing wrong with that, after all it is my rambling
blog about both potters and pots. The person who leveled the claim is a
collector of almost exclusively Bizen potter, no bias in that so in an attempt
to give equal time to other types, I thought I would show this rather nice
Ko-Mino hanaire and what is not to like? This vase is by Mino specialist Ando
Hidetake was fired in his wood kiln and
where ash has landed it has made a drier, straw yellow surface reminiscent of
Ki-Seto pottery though he is rather particular in naming these works Ko-Mino
despite the areas at the shoulder, neck and mouth that I would classify as
aburage style. Tall and well thrown, the deeply incised lines accentuate the
vertical nature of the vase and add a subtle twist to the form that sets it in
motion while the ash and glaze moving down the surface is rather visually
appealing. Ando was raised in a pottery family before apprenticing under Kato
Tokuro so the study and tradition of the Mino area is in his blood and comes
quite naturally to him as is evidenced in this expressive hanaire just waiting
on flowers and its placement in the a tea house tokonoma or on a shelf in one's
home. I may be biased in what I like, but it is the individuals addition to his
craft and personal vision that interests me and less so where they were made or
from what tradition they sprang and I am convinced that this applies to a
pioneer like Ando Hidetake.
"It is better to create than to learn; creating is the essence of life." Julius Caesar
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