THEN & NOW (SHINO EDITION)

In some respects, the arrival of this rather nice Tamaoki Yasuo Shino chawan is a trip down memory lane. I doubt I had mentioned this previously but when preparing for our first trip to Japan, I had limited printed material to go by with the exception of a handful of catalogues so I was eager to see and/or visit  potters in Shigaraki, Mino and Bizen and at the top of the list was Tamaoki Yasuo. Though I had written Yamaoki prior to our trip we had never back and once there had the hotel call to try to make an appointment but he was away when we would have been able to visit. We were both a bit bummed by this setback but truthfully there was no shortage of pots to see and handle and after several days we said good-bye to Gifu Prefecture. Our last stop was to be Osaka-Nara-Kyoto while staying in Kyoto proper and on our first day there we ran in to a gallery that had four chawan by Tamaoki Yasuo including the rich Aka-Shino bowl that I posted about previously* as well as three Shino pieces so in the end, it really is all's well that ends well.     

Over the years I have handled quite a few pots by Tamaoki  who was, way back when considered one of the five great hopes of Mino whose work has moved the Mino tradition in a modern directions with his innovative forms, creative use of Shino glazes all the while blending modernism and tradition in to his tea ceremony pieces of which this chawan is a classic example. Relying on a good strong and practical form and a Shino that can be distinguished from that of many of his contemporaries, this chawan displays a rich and varied landscape ever so reminiscent of old Momoyama ink painting though quite a bit less monotone in its brushwork, so to speak. In many respects this is a classic bowl from the 1990s by Tamaoki, being carefully crafted, it is one of several chawan forms in his oeuvre relying on archetypes that came before him from the Momoyama era through the mid-Showa period that reflects his vision of modern Mino and modern chadogu. I have to admit what appeals most to me is the simplicity of the bowl and the fact that his chawan rarely appear like they have been forced, fussed with or overly manipulated, they have that freshness of form that looks like a potter threw a bowl and then casually lifted off the wheelhead and this is what you end up with and in my opinion that is truly one of the attributes of a really good chawan.

(* https://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2015/03/iam-constantly-amazed-at-how.html )