Friday, November 28, 2025

TO HANG OR NOT TO HANG?

Though standing on a shelf, the illustrated Oni-Shino vase is in fact intended as a hanging vase though the small rectangular slot at the top rear is empty and devoid of a bronze hanging ring or piece of coarse hemp rope. As you can see in this sunlit picture, this surface is just alive with varying effects including the rich spotted iron interior that looks alive as you move by the piece. The form just naturally gives you that feeling you are looking at natural bamboo covered over in some other-worldly surface that is just filled with effects that show off the very essence of Tsukigata’s Oni-Shino. As you can see, the majority of the effects on the kakeire are in movement though there are areas of static punctuations where iron has come to the surface and formed crystals of sort. It has been a long while since I have handled this piece and over that time I have wondered if it was never intended to have some metal hanging ring or just a simple knotted piece of rustic rope leading to the bigger question, to hang or not to hang?