Chawan / Shino / Toki / Okuiso Eiroku
Shino Chawan by Okuiso Eiroku
Kukuri, Kani, Okaya, and Ohira are the names of places in Gifu prefecture where the classic Shino wares of the late 16th C. were fired; the greatest kiln being that of Mutabora. The relationship between Shino and the Way of Tea has basically continued on to this very day. Of course there was a lapse in the Meiji period with a great revival beginning in the 1930s. Some grand masters from that time have left their mark on the potting world, Kato Tokuro and Arakawa Toyozo being the 'gods.' The second wave saw other names rise with one being the late great Okuiso Eiroku(1930-1987). The famed chawan critic Hayashiya Seizo wrote many essays about Okuiso praising his work, his writings, and the way he fired his o-gama (large kiln). Okuiso was a great potter and scholar who wrote books on how to create Shino in the classical way. At times even Tokuro would pay him a visit carrying a large bottle of sake. One can instantly see the same power in their chawan. Rarely do Okuiso's chawan appear---one reason being the loss factor he faced---and this is the first one we've offered in years. For one exhibition it took five years to collect enough works! He was a chawan master par excellence. The clay is the finest mogusa and the strong kodai is full of personality. The chawan was fired in the latter years of Okuiso's life and after he passed the owner took the chawan to the Okuiso family and had Okuiso's son Taigaku (now also a superb Shino potter) give the chawan a name written under the lid: Daigo-ji, a World Heritage Temple in Kyoto. In perfect condition with a signed box, mark etched on base, 9cm.tall and 13.5cm.across.