MUKUNOKI BLUE

Composed of what appears to be three distinct components, this rich gosu hakeme henko was made by Mukunoki Eizo using a construction technique and surface decoration he learned from his master Kawai Kanjiro. The interesting thing about this particular henko form is that the middle and top components  are made in one mold and the bottom in another, this has afforded Mukunoki the ability to create a number of forms using several separate molds and assembling them in various ways. The last two pieces of this type that I saw, the first was glazed in a rich temmoku  with splashes of tessha and the henko was only the middle and top components and the other had a split, notched foot pedestal as the bottom of the piece which was glazed in a shinsha copper red over some slip trailing around the large central portion of the pot. This henko has been decorated in a thick coat of white slip, hakeme style around the entire surface that once glazed in his own version of the Kawai-den gosu creates a rather active and captivating landscape. It may sound a bit simplistic but how can you go wrong with white slip and a Kawai school gosu?

"The aspect of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity."   Ludwig Wittgenstein ( 1889-1951)

NELUMBO NUCIFERA

As if  cradled and suspended by a lotus blossom (nelumbo nucifera), this hakuji chawan is by Kawai Hisashi, a student of Kawai Kanjiro during the 1960s. Heavily carved out of blended Shigaraki clay, the lotus blossom design is in high relief and is a pleasure in the hand and the white glaze coats the bowl in a flowing surface while breaking to a clear accentuating the brown lines of the carved surface. Kawai Hisashi is quite well known for his high relief surface created for his molded works and for his thrown and hand carved pieces as well, many of which use his distinctive take on his master's gosu surface. The more I look at this chawan, the more I see the contemplative, almost spiritual side of the piece, embodying the Buddhist concepts of spiritual awakening and purity, both of which I think are reflected in the form and aesthetics of this simple bowl.

"Your heart is filled with fertile seeds, waiting to sprout. Just as a lotus flower springs from the mire to bloom splendidly, the interaction of the cosmic breath causes the flower of the spirit to bloom and bear fruit in this world."  Morihei Ueshiba