REMINDER

I must admit when I first saw this chawan I was pretty sure it was another Echizen chawan, possibly by Nishiura Takeshi but after kicking the tires I realized I was pretty much off base. In point of fact this all natural (shizen-yu) chawan is classified as Mino-Yakishime, simply put, wood fired Mino pottery, no glaze and as natural and authentic as can be. Beyond the surface, I was drawn to the robust form, with very little manipulation from its wheel thrown origins and just hints here and there of some spatula work and other spontaneous potter’s marks. The ash has built up rather well on the face where it has taken on this hazy surface while showing areas to the rear interior of the bowl that have ash running like some primordial waterfall cut off in mid-stream. The entire floor of the chawan is covered in a glassy green ash while the very center has a perfect small pool of deep green, fractured ash just shy of 4cm across. Perhaps one of the most intriguing features of this bowl is that once you break away from the ashy front, the rest of the surface is covered over in what must be a super fine peppering of ash as the entire surface around the bowl and across much of the photo just sparkles, it is alive with a shimmering layer that just reflects light back at you as the bowl is moved around in your hand. 

As to the origins of this Mino-Yakishime chawan, this was made by Kurata Mitsunori, born in Kagoshima in 1951, I was unable on a quick search to find very much other information about him other than the fact that I found a number of yakishime examples along with Seto-Guro and Shino wares. I think there are times when the four Ws are less important than what is right in front of you, seeing what the object really is, unencumbered by the who, what where and when. This chawan once again prompted me to look and not overthink things and that is always a valuable reminder.