AKI-HENKO

Perfect for the season, this flattened grasses henko converses rather naturally about fall with its deep rich red tones and somewhat mysterious qualities the results of fire and a hand full of other essential elements; water, earth and air. This evocative henko was made by Mino potter, Hori Ichiro how relies on the wood fired experience to add layers of qualities to his pottery, a task at which he has more than excelled. The pot was first thrown and then paddled flat to create the form and with some simple iron slip and Shino glaze of varying thickness, Hori has painted a rather Rimpa-esque pot that would as easily sprung from the 17th century as it did from the 21st. As you can easily see, there is a distinct moodiness to this piece, it reminds me of the atmosphere from a Japanese ghost movie as set up by Mizoguchi Kenji balancing mystery and pathos in this case on the three dimensional form.    

This somber fall henko (aki-henko) is rather typical of the "decorated" works made by Hori Ichiro relying on slip decoration using carving or resist to bring the design to life under his various Shino surfaces and using layering of the glaze to create various effects and moods that turn each piece in to a three dimensional storyteller. On a side note, I took quite a few pictures of this piece quite a while back but didn't check them while I still had access, some of the images are slightly out of focus but I think I have more than enough to put together a video slideshow at some point in the future. More latter?