(24481) Aiba Koyo (Tokoname) - Ruri Blue Oval -19⅛ in (48cm)

Informal information:

A fine old Koyo oval whose character has developed over the decades. The dark blue glaze is quite matt and the patina conveys something of the age of the pot which has had many years of use, it has a very well aged, soft quality to it.

This is an older version of Koyos Ruri glaze, as can be seen by the clay it's on, which has some iron in it.  Later on Koyo used a white clay with a black slip on the inside and underneath.

The rim of the pot has some roughness and glaze crawling - spots where the clay can be seen under the glaze, please look at the photos carefully. Technically this is a defect, but as can be seen, even an imperfect pot can be put to good use, and should be considered in the round. I think given the clay it's on, this is a part of Koyo history and his technical advances over time.

Koyo, Mr. Aiba Kouichirou, born 1944, from a familiy of potters. He founded the Koyo kiln in the 1970's, his work always very popular. Perhaps his most famous glaze is the green crystal oribe, which changed over time and really gained it's own identity apart from the famous ones of Tofukuji and Ino Shukuho. His pots are reliable as well as great to look at.