SLIPWARE

This rather rustic kohiki and iron glazed mizusashi was made by Ogawa Tetsuo who I have long admired as one of the finest "slipware" potters of Japan. While the term "slipware" generally is associated with the English tradition of the use of varying colored slip on pottery, in japan it is more about hakeme, mishima, kofuku and kohiki stle use of the liquid clay. In this specific case, this kohiki slip has cracked to create a vivid texture across the surface of the pot which has also been highlighted by iron painting a rather atmospheric landscape like the mist or fog enveloping some far off mountain range or valley, a perfect object of contemplation for the tea ceremony. This mizusashi was thrown out of a coarse stoneware clay and then carefully manipulated to a lozenge  or diamond shape and once completed was fitted out with a custom black lacquer roiro lid.         

In short, his pottery is guided by the concept of looking back and studying the past to find and define his voice within a modern tradition which for Ogawa revolves around slipware and his choices of clay and materials. Though the idea, the concept, form and surface are all rather simple the presentation and aesthetics have a degree of complexity that is both visually and tactilely engaging though knowing a bit about the work of Ogawa Tetsuo, this comes as absolutely no surprise.