When
I first saw this wonky chawan I couldn't help but think what a unique and
unusual foot, then I remembered what I was looking at and who it was made by
and then I thought, well of course it is different. This collage depicts two
views of the same foot from a somewhat wonky Bizen chawan by Kakurezaki Ryuichi
and as I mentioned innovative, different and unusual go hand in hand with this
potter. What you can clearly see is this bifurcated, wari-kodai style foot that
forms a deceptively stable pedestal for what is a rather elongated bowl form
all dressed up in a rich coating of ash across the face and interior with a wet
fumed layer of ash on the rear. Thrown separately and attached to the bowl, the
foot is highly animated and a perfect addition to complete the form while
creating a focal point that to most is a bit of a surprise and even a novel
approach for the kodai of a teabowl. I should also mention that when I first saw this chawan I couldn't help
but be reminded of a comic strip from my high school years, B.C. by Johnny
Hart. There was an ongoing joke where one of the B.C. gang spots a clam running
on two legs and exclaims, "Clams got legs!" to which the clam quips,
"Now I have to kill him.". This association is not meant to disparage
the chawan (which I just love) in the least but I do have to say, every time I
looked at the bowl or pictures of it, I can't help but smiling ever so
slightly.
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