TSURUKUBI

My understanding is that this vase and another that I had here were bought from an auction house in Japan a number of years ago, a gourd vase and this crane's neck (tsurukubi) vase, one Iga and this one Shigaraki pottery by Furutani Michio. This hanaire was fired quite well and has a rather nice landscape composed of three distinct strata of color from the light brown area at the base, the greyish-blue collar with some additional ash effects to the dark, almost ominous nature of the upper most part of the neck and mouth capping off the long neck. 

When I first saw this pot I thought this was a slightly unusual form for Furutani Michio and then over the years I have seen several more though each one it own unique piece with its own unique surface also proving that no form gently nuanced or sophisticatedly designed was beyond the reach of potter and flame. This vase has a rather engaging tactile presence where rough gives way to smooth in patches like it is battling for some supremacy but the real winner in this fight is the viewer seeing the array of wood fired and visual effects that go beyond traditional Shigaraki pottery clearly representing the firing, surfaces and philosophy of one of the greatest Shigaraki (and Iga) potters of the 20th century, Furutani Michio.