THE DARK SIDE

I recently spent a little time with this rather nice chaire by arguably, the father of modern Iga, Tanimoto Kosei. The chaire is of a rather sturdy and classic medieval form with a great surface which, like the Moon has a light side and a dark side. The area facing away from the fire has a wonderful, green ash surface with areas of deep pooled effects that add a sense of animation to the pot while the area that faced the fire has a dark, almost ominous surface of dark greys and a shiny black that masks much of the surface in shadows and mystery. I have seen quite a few chaire by Tanimoto Kosei over the years and for me, it is a safe bet this is among the finest I have seen showcasing a great form and even greater surface to create an excellent Iga example. I took quite a few photos of this chaire and put together a short video slideshow to give a sense of what this Tanimoto Kosei Iga chaire offered in person, I hope this gives you the sense of the pot.