NIGHT & DAY

When I look at this large bottle, I just marvel at the atmosphere that it gives off, somber, brooding and purposeful straddling the realms of utility and appreciation, all attributes that make for a powerful and direct pot. Though I knew the maker immediately, you can see some elements of Karatsu-yaki in this bottle though if you know the potter, Sakata Deika XIII (1915-2010) it is quite clear that this is but one facet of how this potter sees and interprets Hagi in modern times. Full of volume and graceful bearing this stoneware form is the perfect setting for a surface that runs with hues of creamy off-white, lavenders and pinks all punctuated by effects created by the clay surface to dark, almost ominous overtones on the rear that paints a dynamic landscape moving from the light into darkness, like night and day.       

Born in 1915, Sakata Deika assumed the mantle as head of the Fugawa-gama (Yamaguchi Pref.) where he settled in and pioneered research into the recreation of the classic Ido style chawan of his ancestry. Having a career that expands over such a long time, Deika XIII left works in a wide array of styles, surfaces and forms among which this bottle and surface seem to be prevelant right through the 1990s though this piece dates to the late 1970s. Aside from Sakata Deika's classic Ido chawan, it is clear that he was dedicated to the Hagi tradition in which he spent a lifetime combining the old with the new with a clear eye on expanding the tradition, moving forward and bringing along hints of a modern aesthetic along for the ride.