OUTCOME

Thrown and faceted out a a slightly coarse clay this Iga chawan was first partially glazed (seed glazing) and then fired in a wood kiln by third generation potter, Sakamoto Yoshihito. I have written about Sakamoto previously and in that case the vase was naturally wood fired, shizen-yu style which has a distinctly different look than this chawan. This chawan has a nice landscape created by the glaze, rich hi-iro fire color and the grouping of serious and brutish looking shell scars that have that classic pate-de-verre appearance on one side of the bowl. The face of this chawan is covered in a pale grey-green ash that accentuates the texture and facets of the clay which has a strong visual impact and presents a slight sense of movement almost as if the bowl is swaying rhythmically. The entire interior is coated in a nice layer of the ash glaze which seems to highlight the teapool and the chawan is finished with a strong, purposeful kodai that was left unglazed and has benefited from the natural effects of the wood firing with varying light ash brings life to the area. 

Though the surface is a combination of both being glazed and wood fired the overall piece has a rather genuine appearance, almost calm despite the scars and clay texture that is rather warm and inviting to my eye.   At the end of the day, glazed or unglazed it really doesn't matter how it got there but rather what is the outcome and that it has just what you would want out of a chawan, ready for use and pleasing to the senses.