FLASHBACK FRIDAY

I'll start by admitting when I first saw this mizusashi I wasn't quite sure who made it though the single picture provided was dark and slightly out of focus. As soon as the pot arrived, several Fridays back, based just on the ash (and perhaps the signed box) it was quite evident this was an old Iga mizusashi by Kojima Kenji. Since there was no bio in the wood box I am guessing that this pot was likely fired in the mid-80s showing a pot almost more akin to his Bizen apprentice roots in terms of form than the more classic Iga archetypes that he navigates and adds to in later years.   

What is immediately obvious is that this pot is well fired and though not battle scarred it certainly did wage war with fire and wood now forever attested to on the well fired surface. The lid fits the pot well and has a generous knob that makes the piece function without issue and there is just enough movement in the form to keep the pot from being too stiff and lifeless. The throwing has created just the right amount of articulation that when combined with the ash surface bring a spark of life to the pot that just asks to be impressed into service. I think that this flashback Friday Iga mizusashi clearly is a step forward in the evolution of Kojima Kenji's vocabulary of forms and firing srategies that used pots just like this one to get where they are today.