COUNTERBALANCED

What may be utter simplicity in form is clearly counterbalanced in the complexity of the yuteki temmoku glazed surface. Thrown out of a simple, off-white buff clay, this chawan was thrown simply and effectively on the well and other than some clean and uncomplicated tooling of the foot the bowl was left just as it came off the wheelhead. As for the surface, the potter created a simple strata pattern using two distinct styles of temmoku, the light rusty one sandwiched between the dark layers all tied together in the mutitude of oil-spot punctuations the encompass the form, inside and out. 

Though this is an older bowl by the iron specialist, Kimura Morikazu*, first of Kyoto and later from Echizen, he specialized in a broad and diverse spectrum of yuteki-temmoku glazes including some later experimentation with yohen effects creating vivid iridescent surfaces. This partiuclar yuteki temmoku was a style he used for some time and though complex in its origins and technology it is rather simple in appearance which truly works in harmony with the simple form creating an evocative and even elegant object which in this case just happens to be one of my favorite things in the world, a well made and considered chawan.  

"Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay."  Gaius Sallustius Crispis 

(*I should also mention if you do a search for Kimura Morikazu on the I, POTTER blog you will see several other pots in this style including another chawan and a guinomi.)