THEN, NOT NOW

Originating from the same book that I got the Kohyama tokkuri and guinomi picture from, I thought this picture of a rather early Kumano Kuroemon was worth sharing and was also interesting juxtaposed against Kohyama Yasuhisa's set made in a more mature style than that of this Kumano pairing. Clearly still a bit distant from his more mature style, these pieces bare a stronger relationship to traditional Shino though obviously rather aggressively wood fired. The form of the tokkuri clearly shows the basis of his more contemporary pieces despite the surfaces lacking the modern maturity we have all become accustomed to yet every has a starting point on their way to "now". I have actually handled a number of Kumano's pots from the late 80s and early 90's and if you divorce yourself from a more contemporaneous expectation and enjoy them for what they are, these pieces are quite enjoyable with a bold visual and tactile texture that is quite different than most pots springing from the Momoyama Shino driven tradition. However you decide to view this duo, I suspect they are more than up to the task of their intended function and willing to provide a heaping helping of whatever you fancy.