SAME-HADA

I'll start by saying this photo was neither intentional or planned and was pure happenstance. This sharkskin glazed Shino chawan was sitting on the corner of my desk and when I walked back in I saw this area of the interior highlighted by the last remaining ray of the day's sun. This sharkskin, same-hada Shino chawan was made by Kato Yoshiaki and is a classic example of the texture over the entire bowl though the nodule sizes vary quite a bit as determined by the application. At first glance the texture really appears more like that of a large lizard but the use of same has a long history of use especially on the handles of Nihonto, Japanese swords so an affiliation with that material and origin makes quite a bit of sense. As one can imagine the texture of this work is rather a unique one and quite comfortable despite the appearance, each nodule of glaze is smooth and for the most part covered in a sheen of ash adding to the visual texture as well. Having handled a group of Kato Yoshiaki's works, including several chawan I can say that his work appears driven by function but in no way did he want to leave out the fundamental truth that appearances matter.