NONE THE LESS

Though not made in Shigaraki, this simple, lobed mizusashi is Shigaraki none the less. Having studied with Tsuji Seimei, Kon Chiharu made this classic vessel for tea ceremony which was then fired in an anagama to create a classic, even traditional style of pottery that is synonymous with Shigaraki. The form of this mizusashi is somewhat simple and entirely functional where impressions were made while the clay was still wet and a practical lid was thrown completed with knob so that it would sit just atop the pot, closing the opening and at some level hiding the contents from view. When fired, this pot was fired upright, the lid was wadded to the piece and the form was fired on wads as well, the large botan-mochi style area on the face of the pot was created by some pot acting as a defensive linebacker keeping some of the flow and velocity of the fire and ash from reaching its intended target. The majority of the surface is covered over, excepting the one resisted area on the front and a small area on the rear, in a coat of wet ash presenting a sense of being freshly washed, a feature that I am always drawn to. Everything about this pot speaks to centuries of a medieval tradition even if it was made and fired a few miles away, clearly Shigaraki to the very bones of the pot.