RECENT ARRIVAL

I first saw this salt fired henko quite some while ago on Facebook and after discussing it with a fellow collector across the pond, I decided it should be rehomed at its earliest convenience. I was initially struck by the sheer simplicity of the form and surface, it would seem to be devoid of any superfluous detail or additions relying on a strong form, a few lines of slip and cobalt and a fine sheen of salt to breathe life and movement into its clay. This was made by Susukida Koji (1945-2015) and fits well within his body of slipped work and salt fired pottery. As you can see in this sunlit picture, the salt has created a soft, pebbly texture over the applied decoration which reminds me of lyrical, even poetic calligraphy. In fact, I have begun referring to this bottle as the ‘getsu-henko”, the moon vase as the way the decoration appears on each side reminds me of the kanji for moon, getsu/ tsuki and though I am sure others will see what they will on this scroll (kakejiku) like planes, I see a casual mastery of calligraphy spelled out in liquid clay and cobalt brushwork.