EXOTIC CAMOUFLAGE II

Barely two weeks after I posted up a chawan by Sasaki Yuzuru this mizusashi showed up and though difficult as heck to photograph it is the same technique as the former. I am not sure how to classify such occurences; coincidence, happenstance or serendipity but this does seem to happen with some regularity and the logicical side says, someone saw the original post and decided it was a good time to conitue on the path of downsizing. This particular lobed yuteki mizusashi appears to be mostly dark with hints of yellow peeking out but with every turn the yellow shows up through its dusted and spotted surface of dark iridescent spots giving it a real three dimensional appearance and looking just as much like exotic camouflage as the chawan. I will admit this is not exactly a great photograph but it is as good as I could get and hopefully lets the viewer glimpse in to how the pot appears in person as it is nothing short of amazing. Like the previous piece there is truly no doubt who made this mizusashi and the skill and sensitivty it takes to pull off such a noble pot.

EXOTIC CAMOUFLAGE

Looking a bit more like the exotic camouflage of some far away mammal, fish or lizard; this style of yuteki glaze is not something that you see every day. The jewel inspired spots burst out of the yellowish ground creating isolated universes of iridescence and shimming crystals which under the right lighting brings the chawan to life, creating a mysterious and contemplative surface that very few can achieve. Created by oilspot specialists and student of Kimura Morikazu, Sasaki Yuzuru spent a number of years under his master's tutelage as well as studying at the Kyoto ceramic Research Institute before establishing his own studio/kiln in Fukui (1979) allowing him to focus on this pursuit and creating pots and surfaces that almost defy logic and showcasing a long term dedication to his craft and art. In certain respects as I study this pot it appears like I am staring at the handiwork of a pointillist master who has place every spot exactly where it should be with the rich dark lip and highlighted band of blue-grey iridescent spots running around the center circumference of the bowl. At the end of the day it is the experience and his years of making, testing and firing that has created this exotic chawan surely setting him apart from his contemporaries and making it easier still to say, "Sasaki Yuzuru made this".