POSITIVELY MEDIEVAL

A while back I was looking at two pots that showed up here and have to admit I was struck by the incredible contrast between them. The first pot was a pale blue seihakuji mentori chawan by Ueda Tsuneji (sorry no pictures to share) and a positively medieval Shigaraki suribachi style katakuchi by Kon Chiharu which is illustrated. I really enjoyed my time with both pieces but for very different reasons and would be happy to have them here indefinitely but if I was pushed to choose between them, I think the Kon Chiharu would win out. Despite the cool and contemplative honesty of the seihakuji chawan, it is the elemental and primal nature of the Shigaraki everyday katakuchi that speaks to me at a different level and not the intellect but rather the intuitive.   

As you can see in the photo there is a casual and spontaneous nature to how this suribachi style katakuchi was thrown, altered and then decorated, simplicity of design and creation exactly the way early Shigaraki and other medieval potters would work. The potter then let the kiln do the rest of the work and placed this piece to maximum advantage in his anagama allowing more than its fair share of ash to build up and melt creating this wet, glassy surface that is both perfect for the function of the pot and quite appealing to the eye.