SURVIVOR

There is something to be said about a pot that immediately speaks of the herculean battle waged with fire and ash and certainly among this group who glaze their pots, Tsukigata Nahiko and Kumano Kuroemon always stand out among the crowd. This Kuma-Shino mizusashi is a perfect example where though locked in a battle for survival and facing the distinct possiblity of melting and succumbing to the heat of the kiln, this pot is a survivor and lives to tell the tale. The thick Kuma-Shino surface coating in a thin coating of luscious green-blue ash is interupted by areas of intense and crusty ash painting a narrative that potter and collector alike can understand and appreciate for the complex and beautiful landscape now frozen into the surface.

This particular mizusashi was thrown as a bowl form and altered a bit prior to the firing and once it had come out of the kiln intact a simple cypress lid was carved and fitted to the pot completed with a thin wood strap acting as a handle. I love the contrast between the simplicity of the lid and complexity of the surface all the while being unified by a simple form that waits for the viewer to remove the lid to expose the wonderful Kumano treasure exposed within.