SHINSHA & HAKEME

While it may be easy to see at first glance this is not a Kawai Kanjiro chawan what is immediately apparent is that this was made by one of his students who studied the master and learned their own use of the varying techniques that were on display at the studio. This chawan was made by Mukunoki Eizo and despite being three decades old (or more) it is in pristine and unused condition which gives one the impression that it was just made yesterday.

Once the chawan was thrown and tooled, a sandy thick slip was applied over the clay creating waves of dramatic texture around the bowl which was intended to delight the eye and hands at the very same time. Perhaps one of the things I really appreciate about this chawan is the way the rounded bowl form sits on the pedestal foot, I like this kind of lift and all of the enjoyable space and shadow that it provides and with this it reminds me of some old wan-gata pot that was used, day in and day out made of clay or carved from some local tree. I hope this short video slideshow paints as authentic a picture of the movement, color, form and texture as the chawan conveys in person.