Wednesday, April 8, 2020

DAI-KANNYU II

Illustrated is a wonderful chawan that is up on a Japanese website that specializes in Hagi pottery and carries the work of the modern master; Yamato Yasuo, to be clear, this is not my photo but I was compelled to share. Several weeks back I posted up a chawan by Yamato Yasuo's son, Tsutomu using this particular technique so I decided to search around and find an example of where this style originated and thought that this was just an excellent example to showcase. There is a great deal of risk in working with this technique, many chawan fail with areas of surface flaking off the surface but when it works it is worth the risk and effort. I have concluded why I am drawn to these surfaces; there is a primal, elemental quality to them, they are unfettered by pattern and given over to happenstance and a controlled chaos born out of a potter's experience.

This chawan has a carefully crafted form that is both pleasing to the eye and easy to use with a lip that is skillfully manipulated to appear effortless and natural which is complimented by the spread of the pedestal style kodai that gives off a reassuring atmosphere of stability and artistry. The rich and peachy undertones are ever so slightly muted by the milky white glaze that is interrupted by the bold and random fissures that run from the surface all the way to the clay body of the chawan adding not only a dynamic tension to the appearance but a distinct sense of mystery as well. What is easy to conclude from this chawan is that it is a tour de force of Yamato Yasuo's unique Dai-Kannyu Hagi style and that from posture to pose this is as classic an example as it gets to show off this daring and unpredictable endeavor.