A WEE BIT

It is not quite magic but at some level there is something magical regarding the molded henko forms of the Kawai school. Though few come close to Kawai Kanjiro's brilliance for capturing spontaneity and spatial awareness most of his nephew (Kawai Takeichi) and apprentices picked up the gauntlet to create their own unique forms in ways best meant to carry on the tradition and speak their own voice through pieces. 

 This rich gosu henko is by one of Kawai Kanjiro's last group of apprentices, Kawai Hisashi and shows the reliance on the master's work while stepping just outside the shadow of his influences. Sturdy and impressive in its presence, the basic form is crisscrossed with impressed decoration creating a highly decorative pattern that surrounds the base of the pot in a lattice which has pooled the glaze to create dark, rich gosu blue areas that define and animate the form. The base of the henko is slightly concave and finished in a clear glaze that allows the henko to rest on a narrow square while the sloping shoulder terminates in a thick pronounced mouth that has areas of mottled iron suspended across the surface from top to bottom. 

I think as you break down all of the elements of form, impressed design, glaze and associated details each one is a simple device but isn't it just a wee bit magical getting all these elements and the glazing and firing to work together if you stop and think about it for just a moment?