I find a real attraction and appeal to modern pots that straddle the various time zones of past and present and show a reliance and homage to the classical archetypes from varying traditions and styles. In this classic mizusashi there are key indicators and elements of both the old and new within the tradition of Tamba pottery. Though perhaps not a household name outside of Japan, Ichino Toyoji of the sprawling Tamba Ichino clan made this straightforward and honest mizusashi with that blend of regional classicism and his personal flair of what is modern Tamba. The form of this mizusashi is somewhat simple but with the addition of gestural lugs and potter's marks around the surface, the form becomes much less stiff and form with an the atmosphere of a casual object that still embraces all of the functional obligations of the tea ceremony. Fired in a nobori-gama wood kiln the surface has received just the right amount of flashing and ash to bring the pot to life without hiding or obscuring the marks and details that animate and articulate the form while creating a focal point on the face of the pot that is hard to ignore.
Beyond the basic honesty of the clay, there are other features of note on this simple pot from the exacting fit of the lid, the wetness that embraces much of the form and the iridescent flashing on the base of the pot where the piece was set on wadding and fired. I may sound like a broken record but this is yet another example of a classic and simple pot that gives back to the viewer through various obvious and subtle details as well as the totality of the pot itself, I wonder what different path the tea ceremony would have taken if not for simple pots exactly like this mizusashi filled with purpose, sincerity and tradition.
I am reminded of this quote by John Lyly; "The true measure of life is not length, but honesty" and I think as it pertains to pottery, it just may be that it is the honesty that makes for the long life of any given pot.
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