260. ŌIWA Tomoyuki, 1977- . black [Bizen-ware] sake-warming flask

260.  ŌIWA Tomoyuki 大岩智之. 1977- . Kuro tokkuri  黒徳利   (black [Bizen-ware] sake-warming flask)

 

For Ōiwa, see item no. 259. 

Dark gray clay. Fired unglazed, with natural ash glazing resulting in shiny black and matte black and dun colors. Weight: 426g (15 oz). Height: 13.8 cm (5-1/2 in).  Widths: rim, 3.5 cm (1-3/8 in); widest, 8.8 cm (3-1/2 in); base, 6 cm (2-3/8 in). 

This is shaped like a bottle gourd (瓢箪 hyōtan). It appears to have been molded on a wheel and then subsequently carved to form the belt, shoulders, neck, and rim. The main part of the body was then flattened slightly, leaving the piece longer from side to side. The maximum distance front to back is 8.2 cm, or about a quarter inch less the side-to-side dimension. 

The piece sits on the rim of the circular base, which was hollowed out in a shallow concavity. The remains of the three posts used to separate the piece from the kiln shelf during firing are visible on the bottom. The artist’s mark, a vertical line with a crossbar and a dot at the top right corner, is incised into the center of the base. The belt or waist begins about 5 cm (2 in) above the base and is one centimeter (3/8 in) wide. It consists of two horizontal grooves encircling the piece; the area between the two grooves was flattened with a carving tool. The lower bulge is a convex curve about 5 cm (2 in) in height, with the maximum width of 8.8 cm occurring 3.3 cm (1-1/4 in) above the base. The upper bulge is again a convex curve, with the maximum width of 7.5 cm (3 in) occurring 7 cm (2-3/4 in) above the base. Thus the widest area of both bulges is nearer the waist than the base or shoulders, respectively, of the piece. The shoulders begin 10.2 cm (4-1/8 in) above the base. The shoulder area is level, sloping slightly upwards toward the neck. At the neck’s lowest point, it is 2.5 cm (1 in) wide. The neck widens gradually up to the rim, which juts outward at a 90-degree angle and then slants slightly outward to the upper edge. The inside of the rim curves downward to the recessed mouth. It is impossible to see inside the piece. The surface of the exterior ranges from smooth over the heavily vitrified areas to a medium sandpaper grade on the relatively unglazed areas. 

This was fired unglazed. Some two-thirds of the exterior surface is covered with a vitrified ash glaze, with a dark black color. The base and some lower edges of the walls are a matte black color. Those portions of the exterior walls not covered with the vitrified ash glazing are a matte dun color.

 This came in a wooden box inscribed by Ōiwa in three lines: 黒 / 徳利 / sigil  kuro / tokkuri / sigil (black sake warmer-pourer / sigil), followed by the artist's seal stamped in red. See item no. 259 on the sigil. Included in the box were a gray wrapping cloth and a small card with a potted biography of the artist.  

This was sold as a unit with item no. 259, but the two pieces were not conceived as a set.  An online search found other similarly shaped tokkuri by Ōiwa. 

The irregularity of the main part of the body contrasts with the symmetry and precision of the pouring spout. The difference sets up a dialogue between the two parts. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto in September 2024, who purchased it directly from the potter in June 2023 (invoice and shipping and customs documents).