Tsubo / Tokoname / Ezaki Issei
Tokoname Haiyu Tsubo by Ezaki Issei
For a Japanese pottery connoisseur, some names in recent history are important to know, even if they never became "popular" or were named Living National Treasures. One such name is Ezaki Issei(1918-1992). Ezaki is the "godfather" of present day Tokoname wares, as it was he who revived the dilapidated kiln site and restored the glories of medieval Tokoname into the Showa Era. He is credited for reviving Tokoname wares like Kaneshige Toyo for Bizen or Nakazato Muan for Karatsu. If one is familiar with Kamoda Shoji's early work, one will notice a jewel-like emerald ash glaze; he learned this from Ezaki. Takeuchi Kimiaki is also the direct pupil of Ezaki, and his aesthetics are heavily influenced by Ezaki. Although pondering upon "what if's" are often fruitless affairs, many speculate that if Ezaki had lived a little longer, his fame would have grown, perhaps even achieving Living National Treasure status. I vividly remember Karasawa Masahiro, a prominent pundit in Japan, wishing Ezaki had received LNT status in a magazine interview. Ezaki established his kiln in 1952 and won the Japan Ceramic Society Prize in 1973. A few years before that he was part of the legendary three-person exhibition featuring Kamoda Shoji and Mori Togaku. Ezaki's pieces rarely come on the market here. This tsubo/jar is extremely unique in its form. Its neck is put on afterwards, very much like a "tsuke-kodai" foot ring that is attached after forming on a potter's wheel. The neck/mouth's form is like a funnel, with a sharp edge and a brilliant display of ash glaze that covers the mouth to the neck and shoulders. The ash turns to "bi-idoro" glassy green, and crystalizes into glassy beads of "tombo-no-me" dragon fly eyes, of which many decorate the surface of Ezaki's fine-grained base clay. The tsubo is a good size for flowers or works wonderfully on its own. This piece is 17.5cm tall, 18cm wide, comes with a signed box and is in perfect condition.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
