CENTURIES PAST

Illustrated is a rather lush Ki-Seto hanaire that has a surface that is actually alive with movement and activity created by the ash glaze and the wide array of shimmering nodules that proliferate the surface and an abundance of bidoro spheres that punctuate areas of the pot. Though it may seem hyperbolic, this Ki-seto created by Hayashi Shotaro is easily the most complex and unique of its type where a blend of tradition and modern inspiration collide to create a unique surface (and pot) that adds to a rather distinguished and long line of potters that have gone before. 

Beyond the somewhat uncommon surface the form is also particular to the potter, at its base it finds its roots in centuries past leaning on an anthropomorphic ideal in form articulated by vivid throwing grooves, spatula marks and the intentional distortion of the round form adding a bit of tension and drama into the mix. Despite the evocative surface and expressive form, at its core it tells a story about rustic and weathered beauty, made to be used and considered as yet another contribution to a long tradition and a body of work that spans decades and nudges the present just a bit closer to the future of modern Japanese pottery.