CO-EXISTENCE

This Echizen chaire was made Ban Kojiro and is a classic study in the quiet and graceful nature of wood fired pottery. It stands not as a fussy and overthought object, but as a singular encounter between potter, clay and fire. The form is a stout, rounded katatsuki (shouldered) shape where the transition from the body to the neck is gentle, creating a silhouette that feels natural having the presence of earth determined to become vessel.       

The surface is where Kojiro’s knowledge of firing and kiln becomes quite evident where in the Echizen tradition, the pot is submitted to the fire sans glaze. The results of a calculated battle between heat and flame yields an all-natural ash glaze, yakishime which settles here and there at times favoring the face and shoulder in a crusty, coating of varying colors and textures. In this case, there is a rich tamadare waterfall that acts as a reminder of the process and traces the path of the flame, a record of the event, a perfect narrative of its journey. The texture created is intensely tactile; composed of a soft, granular, "pear-skin" quality that shifts from a rough matte to a vitrified sheen where the heat was most intense.         

Born in 1946, Kojiro’s journey was an exploration of clay and fire based on a long standing Echizen tradition where his works appear to revive the rugged aesthetic of the Muromachi period. The simplepottery is perfect for wood firing where the impurities and simplicity of the clay are a perfect visual counterpart to the ash accumulation during the firings; this chaire is a testament to that approach. The stark lid, an essential companion to the tea caddy provides a sharp, clean contrast to the rugged ceramic body, highlighting the vessel’s rustic "wabi" character and a hint of nobility in the exchange.       

In Kojiro’s hands, the clay is given its form and posture fully aware in the mutual understanding between potter, pot and flame that the potter’s role is to provide the canvas, while the kiln provides the soul and the landscape. This piece remains an essential example of the co-existence of function and presence, bridging the gap between the Echizen earth with the expectations and refined ritual of the tea room. 

( I should mention that acting as a backdrop in the photo is a wonderful Tom Turner covered jar!)