VISUAL ROAD TRIP

"Shino which was fired in the Mino kilns during the Momoyama period, stands at the top of the history of Japanese ceramic art. It is said to be located at the highest peak among ancient ceramics. It has a plump warm touch like cotton and a simple yet noble fragrance (this) is the feature I want to express (in) Shino in the modern age."  Enomoto Kyousuke (This is a rather imprecise translation of Enomoto's quote though the best I could do.)

I posted a photo of a wari-kodai from a Shino chawan in a recent post and decided that since I wasn't sure when I may get around to making a slideshow video I would just post up an overall photo of the chawan. Made by Enomoto Kyousuke this is a generous and lively bowl perched upon its split, pedestal foot with a thin layer of milky, translucent Shino over a dark iron slip with the addition of a thick, pure white band of glaze around the chawan. Though at first glance I can see the influence of some modern masters, this teabowl has its own distinct personality where thick Shino paints a wondrous snow covered mountain range against the hazy red sunset of some far off place like a visual road trip for the imagination. I really like the variety of dimension and textures to this chawan which is enjoyable in the hand and ever so slightly reminiscent of some poem extolling the joys of some exotic locale and just how to get there. 

I think that this chawan would be best served through a slideshow and hopefully I will get to it in turn though there are several other pieces already lined up in the queue.