One
of the things I love about the various Kawai school potters is their unique
sense of form especially when it comes to the molded henko they are so well
known for. Innovative, provocative and elegant forms, many related to the Kyoto
sense of style are a wonderful stage for
the variety of glazes and decorations that sprung from Kawai Kanjiro and were
passed on within the family and to many of his students from deep, dark
temmoku, rich shinsha reds and the world famous gosu blues. The illustrated
henko was made by Kawai Hisashi and has a direct relationship to those of his
master with his own unique sensibility thrown in and perhaps a small dose of
the elegance that the old Imperial Capital, Kyoto is known for. The full form
begins and ends with the same style of angular termination that ties the form
together and is glazed over in a whitish, translucent crackle which is highlighted
with areas of red that has run and created areas of droozy, moss like tendrils
that bring movement to the surface of this engaging piece. This pot is definitely
a classic henko that draws its inspirations from earlier days and Kanjiro as an
expression of the potters inner voice adding another page to the Kyoto saga of
the Kawai-mon.
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