Illustrated is a low flat Hachi style Iga mizusashi flanked
by and reflecting the moon in the background. Made by Konishi Heinai II and
prominently marked with the Taiko-gama seal, this was potted a bit on the heavy
side, slightly deformed while wet and had a series of rough gouged decoration
articulated around the form. The interior of this mizusashi holds an intriguing
surprise, there is a pearlescent glaze with drifting strokes of gold
representing grasses which much look like some old Rimpa design when filled
with water. Added to this one surprise, there is another detail that I find
quite appealing, the base, the bottom of the pot has an impressed wood pattern
design, likely from where the wet pot was placed becoming part of the overall
antique sensibility tying the mizusashi to feudal pots of a different time. Konishi Heinai II who specialized in Raku and Iga pottery had quite the skill
for filling his clay works with a sense of timeless where they appear far older
than they are. Was he a potter born out of time or a potter determined to
forward an aesthetic that time cannot and should not abandon at a time when
modernity and art stylings seem to prevail? I am perpetually thankful that
there are potters who see the past as an adventure to explore everyday moving
forward.
.JPG)