NORTHERN HENKO

Illustrated is a picture that a fellow collector took of his rather nice Furutani Michio henko form absolutely bathing in sunlight. This is an ideal, even classic piece with wonderful proportions and the surface of a nearly perfect firing that lays out a narrative of not only the intensity of the fire but of the creation of the pot as well. Like many of Furutani Michio's pots, the lines of the form are simple enough with marks used sparingly allowing for the placement in the kiln and the process of wood firing to fill out the purpose, narrative and intent of the piece. Though slightly overexposed by the wash of sunlight the firing is clearly painted across the surface with a wonderful array of effects on full display that makes for a rich, in depth conversation with the pot. One of the most interesting things about a form that has more or less become synonymous with Furutani Michio is the uniqueness of each and every piece due to the casual means and methods of the building the pieces where there is no measurement, no templates and only decisions made on the fly during the construction process to fit a specific pot before the potter. This  together with the predictable unpredictability of the firing to paint the forms in flame and ash, as many of these "slab" henko that are out there, no two are the same and each one a new and exciting conversations that never fails to inspire collectors and potters alike.