A GOOD HANDFUL

I suspect at first glance this E-Shino style chawan could be taken for a number of mino traditional potters but the truth is this particular potter is known for anything but conventional works based on centuries of archetypes. This chawan was made by Tsukigata Nahiko and contrary to its style, it is not exactly what I would call early work being made in the late 1980s, though I would call it a good handful of clay. As you can see the area above the foot swells out giving the form more volume before tapering back in a bit making it a easy to use, functional chawan where the thick glaze enhances its fullness and adds a layer of depth and texture. The sparse use of spontaneous iron decoration breaks up the surface and creates a Momoyama ink painting style landscape bringing  the bowl to life in one's hands. 

One other feature is that this chawan was thrown out of a coarser Shino/ mogusa clay than normally seen though I have seen this clay on other pots I have encountered. The clay is a bit looser and softer in appearance and has a decidedly different texture overall compared to the clay that one thinks of coming from the studio of Tsukigata Nahiko.  My conclusions after handling this chawan are simple;  this is likely the most traditional Shino chawan by the potter that you will encounter but despite that fact it is so clearly by Tsukigata that among other simple (?) Shino chawan, this bowl stands out, distinct among the crowd.