DEVIL-MAY-CARE

Looking a bit like it is taking a mid-afternoon nap, this Shigaraki kakeire is about as wonky as they come. Almost folded at the neck and shoulder the form was manipulated to produce a bunch of character and even a bit of a caricature of the form itself. Though I am not hugely drawn to hanging vases, the fact that it is a rather well fired Shigaraki uzukumaru based form and it is by Suzuki Shigeji adds a few ticks in the plus column. As you can see this little vase has a wonderful golden brown crust of ash with areas of attached charcoal and terminates in a wondrous sharp, craggy lip that truly helps define the feeling of the piece. Despite being traditional in nature and having been subjected to the extremes of process and temperature, this small kakeire has an almost playful and devil-may-care attitude and posture which in my book is just what I want out of a simple, useful pot.