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.
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