PERSONAL PREFERENCE

I think it is rather safe to say that when you think of a Mino potter like Ando Hidetake the very first thing that springs to mind is Shino and though it may be in any variation of that style it is Shino none the less. That being said, Ando is in fact quite well known for a number of other Mino traditional surfaces like Seto-Guro, Ki-Seto and Oribe but there is a lesser known style which is perhaps my personal preference, Ko-Mino ware. At first glance it is looks as if it could be categorized as Ki-Seto but it is an early style of surface that predate Ki-Seto and is something of an Ando specialization and these are the landscapes that lure me in. 

I choose this detail shot to make the case why I prefer this glaze style, this kinuta-hanaire by Ando Hidetake has a solid and purposeful form, direct mentori facets and some wonderful effects from having been wood fired. The picture captures the shoulder of the form with the facets in clear view, the slope of the area has collected up a vivid sheet of natural wood ash where areas of glassy ash peer through the crust like gemstones scattered among a stone matrix. In some cases the ash in the base glaze boil up like some bubbles, fighting gravity and adding to the exotic visual of what could have been just a simple vase. I am reminded of the expression, from an old poem, "little drops of water become a mighty ocean" but in this case it is these small, fine details that create a mighty pot and perhaps in doing so it is easy to see why I or any other viewer might prefer such a surface and such a vase.