23176: Unglazed Vermillion Clay Rectangle by Ikkou (Tokoname) - 6in (15cm)

Informal information:

From Ikkou's top line of unglazed pots comes this premium shohin pot. The style is inspired by the best antique Chinese pots. The main difference is that Ikkou's pots are, I believe, more highly vitrified in the Japanese style than traditional Kowatari and Nakawatari pots, which are more porous and less tolerant of freezing.

The clay in his unglazed pots is Chinese, this preserves an authentic line and gets as possible to the look of the best Kowatari and Nakawatari pots. I expect he may adjust this to make the pots more vitreous, but I don't know. You can see a fine grained grog (sand), and occassional black spots, which are concentrations of feldspar and Iron, these are features found in the best of the ancient Chinese pots.

These are some of the reasons that Ikkou is rated as one of the best living makers of shohin pots, his pots are used at all the shows in Japan. If you aspire to grow shohin coniferous trees, an Ikkou pot should be near the top of your wishlist.

Condition is used, excellent.

The first four pictures are after a light oiling, the rest are before oil was applied. Pictures were taken in natural daylight, image tone may vary as a result, however for unglazed pots, this seems much more representative than under artificial light.

Kazuhiro Watanabe is the son of Shozan, he set out to differentiate his work from his fathers by focussing on small pots. Bonsai Empire featured him in their videos of Tokoname potters, which you can find here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hog0yLdLdfI&t=31s.