NOT MY POT, NOT MY PHOTO

When you are looking at the pottery of Kumano Kuroemon, there are two broad categories to his work; unglazed, yakishime Echizen-yaki and his Shino glazed, Kuma-Shino. In this instance, this detail shot is of the back of an all natural Echizen fired vase that was fired lying down, this happening to be the bottom while being fired. As a result of Kumano's intense, almost herculean firings the ash built up and has run like liquid. In turn this has created these marvelous jewels formed in the promethean fire of his kiln which combined elements of ash, clay and calcium supplied by all of the shells used as wadding to protect pots from becoming permanently fused together like one giant mass. Though this is not my pot, not my photo, it clearly presents the ferocity and strength of throwing and modeling the clay and of the fire which fused this pot into permanence painted with all of the byproducts it takes to turn once wet and malleable clay in to this grand and expressive object you see before you.

"Fire has proved - for men a teacher in every art, their grand resources."  Prometheus Bound (Aeschylus)