A memorable work

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. The sweltering days are continuing, so please take extra care of your health. This is also a time of year when sake cups and tableware are prone to mold, so please make sure to dry them thoroughly before putting them away.   Now, today I would like to introduce a very nostalgic piece that I recently came across. Are you familiar with the Bizen ware artist Toko Masamune? He changed his name to Toko shortly before he passed away, so many of you may know him better as Satoru Masamune.   I believe I first met Mr. Masamune around 2004. He taught me so many things when I was just starting out on my path in Bizen ware and knew nothing at all. At the time, even on days when he was not feeling well, he was always devoted to researching Bizen clay and old ceramics.   Inspired by a Kohiki piece he had purchased from our shop, he fired a small batch of tea bowls as a pilot run; I remember this as the last time I saw him in good health. The Kohiki pieces he fired at that time had a wonderful, withered, thin white slip reminiscent of the Joseon Dynasty, and for me, having only known pieces with thick white glaze, it was a tremendous culture shock.   Alongside his Kohiki works, another style Mr. Masamune frequently created until just before he died was Kuro-Bizen (black Bizen). At the time, residential development was taking place in Imbe, and it seems he happened to come across some rare clay that had been dug up; he would hold a test-fired Kuro-Bizen piece in one hand and talk about the clay with such joy.   The raw clay for his Kuro-Bizen had a distinct, intense ochre color that you could tell apart from Hiyose clay at a glance, and I remember Mr. Masamune, having fallen in love with that soil, stacking it in large quantities at his potter's wheel workspace. This clay had special properties that reacted with the natural ash glaze during firing to turn black like iron glaze. The other parts formed a brownish-red, persimmon-glaze-like skin, giving it a presence different from black achieved through slip application. I had hoped to introduce it if the opportunity ever arose, and as my long-held wish was finally fulfilled, I have written this article. In areas where a large amount of natural glaze has adhered, black kiln-changed patterns bleed out as if ink had been sprayed on. This clay contains a very high amount of iron, which mixes with the natural glaze to create this type of black kiln-change. The form is also a departure from standard Bizen style, possessing an air reminiscent of a Koetsu tea bowl. The repertoire of his work was surprisingly vast, with each piece showing a completely different expression, and I am once again struck by Mr. Masamune's profound insight and the technique he possessed to replicate and embody the works he envisioned. His was truly a life devoted entirely to pottery; he loved ceramics and dedicated everything to them.   Toko Masamune / Bizen Kiln-Changed Black Sake Cup, with signed wooden box. Price: Sold Size: 8.1cm diameter × 7.8cm × 6.0cm height   For detailed images and information regarding this work, please contact us below. Tel 0869-67-2210　Fax 0869-67-2220 Email to Kawaguchi Tourakuen (Click to open email window) To Kawaguchi Tourakuen Homepage