From
time to time I end up in a conversation about why I like a particular pot or
potter, sometimes it is questioning my judgment (?) but for the most part it is
more about asking what or how I see something. On more than one occasion I have
mentioned that I have some aesthetic affinity for many, not all of the works by
Masamune Satoru (Kengyo, Moriyasu) and my normal response is that I just enjoy
the way he has handled the clay. This particular mizusashi is a good example,
it is an honest, unforced and straight forward piece that was thrown with a
certain directness; the proportions are rather good, there is very little
effort to alter or mask the "off the wheel" feeling which imparts a
wet and soft appearance which the surface enhances and does not mask. As I look
at the pot, the bones of the piece speak of purpose with just the right amount
of movement starting at the meandering foot and the undulating top of the
mizusashi capped off with an appealing and practical lid and knob. When I have
the chance to see or study a pot by Masamune, I see a steward of a cultural
heritage that was motivated by a collision of tradition, clay, firing and an
internal drive to create Bizen pottery in the modern age.
.JPG)