ILLUSIONS

At first glance, this large chawan could easily be mistaken for Ki-Seto and despite knowing otherwise, I still think it looks like Ki-Seto. The truth is though, Ando Hidetake has made this as an earlier style of pottery, Ko-Mino-yaki which is what is also written on the box. The yellow, straw like color of this glaze appears like some overly zealous pointillist, filled with fine, micro-texture and varying tones of color aided by intentional potter’s marks along with subtle manipulation of the form and added spatula work. The wonderful indentation made around the bowl serves to break up the regularity of the form as well as creating a perfect area of color change adding a bit of animation to the piece. The form itself is a strong reminder of old, feudal chawan originating in the Momoyama period created to act as the perfect vessel for tea, a concept and reality that Ando takes very seriously imploring anyone who would make chawan to understand chanoyu as the basis of these pots. This chawan culminates in a simple, utilitarian kodai that compliments but does not upstage the rest of the bowl, a well-considered pedestal on which the bowl rests and feels comfortable in the hand.  

As I survey this chawan and the work of Ando Hidetake, I am reminded of this single line taken from a recent interview which adds dimension to his pottery; “The true mastery of Mino ware pottery is an illusion, but that is also why you never end up chasing it, never tire.”