HISHOKU

I mentioned this chawan a few posts back, made by Sakauchi Ensen (b.1922) of Okayama Prefecture this unusual, perhaps even a bit unique among the rich diversity of all the Bizen-yaki styles. Sakauchi calls this style Hishoku Nanban-yaki, secret color unglazed (Nanban) pottery which is different than any other Bizen of its time or since which makes pieces such as this stick out all the more from a sea of brown pottery, emblazoned with rich colors, a pronounced visual texture and lots of movement. This chawan was very finely potted and fired upside down as evidenced by the rich, accumulated ash drips on the mouth and is covered in a variety of thick, colorful textures on the exterior and interior of the bowl. Though I have seen a number of Sakauchi's chawan, guinomi, tokkuri and katakuchi, each one is a unique work because of the firing process and each teabowl is a classic chawan with the ultimate goal of fulfilling its basic function for the tea ceremony while presenting a unique and unorthodox aesthetic which has broadened the Bizen tradition.