NULLUS SUBSITUTUS

I'll start out by saying that I realize there is no substitute* for the real thing, in this case a gosu hakeme chawan by Kawai Kanjiro but when I first saw this bowl, I immediately thought that this was in the top percentage of work by one of his pupils, Mukunoki Eizo. Both the broad bowl form and foot are reminescent of Kanjiro's chawan but there is a subtle difference in shape and the bold application of thick hakeme slip, a difference that is easily identifiable yet all the features of Mukunoki's pot quickly add up to one is truly a remarkable work by a student and not the master. Consideration has been paid to the form and  function of this chawan with a lip that is both sturdy and narrow enough to drink from with a broad, pleasant curve and volume to the bowl and a strong, pedestal foot that acts as a perfect resting place as well as a stark visual feature that weighs in as a counterbalance to the overal aesthetic. The interior of the bowl has a thick, crackled clear glaze while a gosu covers the highly textural hakeme slip in blue with areas of rich iron make their way to the surface adding even more dimension to a study in ceramic topography. 

Just to be clear, this chawan is in no way a substitute for the work of Kawai Kanjiro but given the difference in everything from foot to surface is it even possible to make that leap when you are judging the pot on its own merits and that of the potter, Mukunoki Eizo.  

( *I wrote this post after an exchange with a fellow collector who asked me if this wasn't just a "poor mans" substitute for the original, a contention I strongly disagree with.)