Having
a peculiar interest in mallet vases, I thought this photo was worth sharing.
This illustration of Furutani Michio putting the finishing touches of what is
likely to be an Iga mallet vase originally came from a pottery magazine from
1999 which shows him making a variety of different pots as well as a group of
finished, fired pieces. As you can see in the photo, this pot was made by the
coil and throw method and the proportions show a solid, purposeful intent
created to not only stand up to the ferocity of the firing process but to
function as intended without fail. The surface has been left with just the
simplest of marks created during the making process with only the minimal
amount of added detail to imbue a bit of animation to the form. I have seen an
handled quite a few mallet vases by Furutani Michio and it is quite clear that despite their height or width there are "fixed" proportions that
guide his hand in each and every case, locked away through years of experience
and study that in the wet clay, just happen.
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