I really love guinomi that though lacking the size have all the characteristics of being a chawan and this glistening Iga guinomi fits that to a tee. Set on a carefully crafted kodai, the posture and undulation of this form reminds me of a wide array of chawan from Iga to Oribe as the anatomy of the bowl is in motion, animated while bathed in a rich coat of ash both inside and out. The interior landscape is like a diminutive valley complete with a deep pool of sea green where the ash collected and melted creating a focal point for the eye each and every time the guinomi is poised to be drunk from. This miniature chawan is alive with all of the best attributes of its larger cousin and shouldn't be faulted for its scale.
Made by Umehara Isamu, this Iga guinomi was fired in a wood kiln which the potter also turns his hand to other traditional Mino pottery including Iga, Shino, Oribe and Mino-Iga as well. Umehara is just another potter who though embarked on a normal day job career turned his attention to pottery and moved from Osaka to Utouzaka in Gifu Prefecture and by 1987 was completely immersed in Shino, Oribe and Iga pottery. Beyond his pottery skill, Umehara is also a well accomplished designer and builder of kilns, one of which was built for the late Kato Tokuro. Specializing in chadogu, this guinomi is perhaps not the best example of his work but having seen just shy of a couple of dozen of his pots, I can say that what I have encountered has all show the same dedication and attention to details that tends to make a pot both conversant and memorable and what more can you expect from any pot, especially one that fits in your (well my) closed hand?
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