DAILY MASTERWORK

The description for this chawan is about as simple as they come, TETSU-YU CHAWAN, iron glazed teabowl and that is rather appropriate for a bowl that isn't cluttered with superfluous detail and gets right to the point. This iron glazed wan-gata style chawan was made by Kimura Morinobu and is in many respects a quintessential example of his pottery which at all levels strives for a simple aesthetic that is packed with purpose and use. As you can see the bowl was thrown and left unaltered as it came off the wheel where the rounded and practical shape sits quietly on a small, raised foot that is both complimentary and stable for the form. The glaze its self is a varity of iron hues and possibilities filled with small crystal punctuations and the occassional white to clearish interjections adding a bit more to this monochrome landscape. It may seem a bit hyperbolic, but this is just a classic and near perfect chawan that is easy on the eye and ideal for its intended function whether for use in chanoyu or to serve as an everyday reminder of the beauty of pottery.        

Perhaps as a testament to the quality of this tetsu-yu chawan, this bowl is illustrated in a book entitled; KIMURA MORINOBU 50 Years of Work 1951 -2000. Published in 2000, the book is broken up into four sections outlining the diversity of his forms and glazes, many of which are based on ash which he burns and processes himself. One overarching theme is the conscious simplicity of much of the work with one eye to function and one to an creativity that pays some homage to the varying Kyoto aesthetics. I should mention the illustration does not really adequately portray the chawan as it appears in person where the fullness of form and the bright and glimmering surface have a quality of comforting quietness and perpetual contemplation. Of all the work that I have seen and handled by Kimura Morinobu I don't think I am going to far out on a limb to say this is likely one of my favorite pots by him that seems to embody the vision and aesthetic of the potter where just working, dedicated to his craft was more than enough to create those moments of daily masterworks and studied simplicity.