SOFT BLUE

On our very first trip to Japan like most people we tried to squeeze in as much as possible up at 6am and to bed by 1am or so. The irony to our plans and known destinations was the myriad of accidental or stumbled on places from an temples to antique stores and galleries. On one particular day we were taking what we thought was a shortcut near the  Sanjusangendo in Kyoto and walked literally right into a gallery-antique store. In one small display was a group of luminous turquoise pottery by Kato Kenji, our very first exposure to the potter; several guinomi, two vases and this rather soft blue koro. Unfortunately the koro was out of our budget so we ended up with a single guinomi with dreams of other pots in our future.   

With Kato Kenji firmly on our radar over the years I have seen and handled quite a few of his pots including quite recently when this sweet, simple koro arrived at our doorstep. This simple form is decorated in one of Kato's classic designs articulating the form before it was glazed in this hazy, semi-opaque Toruko-ao. The pot is finely thrown with a wonderful pierced foot acting as a pedestal for the koro adding to the "exotic" flair of the piece all decked out  and appearing a bit Persian in orgin but hinting at its origin being thousands of miles away.