PERFECT

Now admittedly, I don't really drink a lot of sake, my palette tends to run more towards good whiskeys and bourbons but that being said, I have long considered this pot to be a perfect tokkuri. Undoubtedly, every collector and sake aficionado believes they have or know of the perfect one but this one is mine, this tokkuri was made by Koyama Fujio back in the 1960s and was a gift from a dealer that I have had a long relationship with and was a very welcome surprise when it arrived. Broadly speaking this piece is Shigaraki in style and it is clear to see that it embodies the very essence of feudal pottery, the archetypes that Koyama was so keen to study and emulate during his days divided  between being a part-time potter and one of the foremost pottery authorities on Japanese and world ceramics and despite his skill level with clay, his knowledge of what was what in terms of pottery was second to none. Though there is really no such thing as a perfect tokkuri I have drawn my conclusion based on a number of factors all blended together to make this little pot; thoughtful form, well considered size, aesthetic appeal, ideal volume, purposeful form and mouth, utilitarian at its core and just a joy to hold and use. Perfect is certainly a high bar especially for some rough, wood fired irregular little pot but it is how we decide to see things that ultimately make the decisions as to how we qualify an object and I have no problem saying this imperfect tokkuri is just perfect for me.  

"Almost all powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes."  Carl Jung