Solid,
sturdy, like a rock are certainly apt descriptions for this simple and fire
weary Iga mizusashi by Imura Mitsuo. Made out of a dense, white stoneware, this
pot was thrown and then marked up, cut a bit, hacked even and altered to create
something akin to a fire scorched carved statuary reminding me a bit of the
base of a gorinto (five ringed tower) situated throughout Japan. This misuzashi
has deep potter's marks that ring the surface along with gashes carved out of
the raw clay that have become prefect foils for the natural ash surface running
from sheets of green glass to dark, ominous charcoal areas that bring a stoic
and somber tune to this essential part of cha(no)yu. The carefully placed marks
that encircle the body of the form at top and bottom compliment the meandering
mouth of the pot and help narrate a journey around the pot through its light
and dark surface like phases of the moon.
Created by Imura
Mitsuo, his pottery shows a much more solid hand and forceful, almost brutish forms
than his master, Sugimoto Sadamitsu. Whether in his nature or as a means to
escape his mentor, Imura's work as I mentioned, are substantial and powerful
where weight is not a primary concern but in fact play into the narrative of how
he must see form and the space it commands. I often conclude looking at his
pottery, they are pieces of solitude and solemnity, like a fortress standing
alone on a mountain top, defying the viewer to approach but one they do sharing
the brillance of simpicity and design that defines both purpose and a singular
aesthetic where sparsity and purity converge.
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