During
my stay with Kohyama Yasuhisa back in 1993 I made a plan to go in to Kyoto one
weekend as my wife's birthday was approaching and I figured how could I not
find something special in such a city? I arrived in Kyoto about 9:30am and got
something to eat and set about going to a few department stores and after that
decided to wander the streets to see what I may discover. Using a flyer I had
found I was looking for a small shop that specialized in silk incense figures
when I made a wrong turn and suddenly found myself a bit turned around. As I
was wandering I suddenly passed by a rather interesting but small gallery space
and decided to go in and to be honest I am not sure who was more surprised, the
potter and gallery owner or me. What I had stepped in to was an exhibition of
exceptional Asahi-yaki pottery (from Uji, just outside of Kyoto) by Matsubayashi
Hosai XIV (1921-2004) who was there with
his son, later Hosai XV (1950-2015) and though they were very polite and
inviting, I think they thought I was looking for something a bit less expensive
and truthfully, there was hardly a piece there beyond hashi sets and futaoki
that I could have purchased. As best I could I explained I was staying in
Shigaraki and with whom and the mood changed as the next thing I knew I was
handling chawan the cost quite a tidy sum. In the end I did find several nice
gifts for my wife, though not Asahi-yaki and what was a wrong turn was made
right in what remains to this day an exceptional experience.
Illustrated
is an excellent example of a Asahi-yaki chawan by Matsubayashi Hosai XIV made
sometime around my encounter with him in the early 1990s. The form, throwing, foot
and surface covered in gohon style spotting are all textbook Asahi
characteristics and the hallmark of the Matsubayashi family who have played an
important role in Kyoto pottery and tea ceremony going back centuries.
.JPG)