Xu De Jia Small Chawan Celedon Cups

A Chistmas gift from my parents, these 50 ml celadon cups are the 2nd (and 3rd) pieces of celadon ware I have.  There are many types of celadon, ranging from super glossy almost glassy looking, to this satin type of finish.  The colors can also vary wildly from an almost blue color, to pale white, I have even seen some slightly brownish grey pieces.

The funny thing about these cups, is it was not until I took the above picture and looked at it, that I realized how incredibly different these two cups were.  Yes they are the same basic shape, same color, but I honestly never fully realized that one is slightly shorter but much wider, while the other is more upright and taller.  Its small details like those that give me a bit of comfort that yes these are actually hand made.  And the differences are only noticeable when you have them side by side.  If you held one in each hand, about a foot apart from each other, and looked at the one in each hand one at a time.  In that situation I think almost anyone would deem both pieces identical.



These pieces just reaffirm my new found fondness for celadon, although all 3 pieces I have are from the same artist Xu De Jia.  And I am quite fond how (at least in this slightly aqua marine colored glaze) at the very rim of the cup there is a noticeable difference in the glaze.

Shibuya Eiichi Wood fired Yunomi

I believe this is my first wood fired piece, from a young artist that is quickly making a name for himself both in the US and in Japan.  This Yunomi shows his incredible talent in so many ways.   While obviously wheel thrown, the way in which he did not overly smooth out the sides of the cup, and left decent curling ridges working their way up the sides of the cup, creates an almost ideal grip on this otherwise slippery piece.  So much so that with my somewhat large hands, with an empty cup, I can manage to hold it (not incredibly well)     with just my middle and ring  fingers curled around one side, pressing it against the pads on the palm side of my knuckles.




The piece seems so ideal in how it fits into my hand, feels surprisingly light and soft for its size, that I am just absolutely thrilled.  Even more so it has some characteristics I have long since wanted from a White Hagi Yaki piece, that only exist when wood fired.   That is the white is actually a subtle pink in most places that darkens or lightens with the effects of what was going on around it in the kiln.




The biggest con in my eyes, is the foot is quite ugly, and ugly in the sense that it looks like he sanded off a hell of a lot of wadding to smooth out the bottom of the cup.  Which when you look at the foot, it lacks the soft look and feel that the rest of the cup has so much of.  The sanded and smoothed out sections look rough, and raw, and especially scarred.

Apprentice Red Blossom Yixing

A Yixing teapot that caught my eye when I visited Red blossoms store in San Fransico.  It is a piece that I feel Sen No Rikyu could get behind, because while the piece is not without its flaws (few at that, but still there), it brews good tea, and that is what is important.  Interestingly enough it shows its use quickly, and some of the more apparent flaws are on the inside there are a few odd blemishes in which it is not picture perfect.  There also is a slight drip from the lid while pouring.

Not to mention from a bit of an visual point of view it appears as though at one point in time this pot was dragged across a rough surface before being fired.  As the base is quite scuffed up and has been from the moment I acquired it "new."  While I have no problem admitting I am a novice when it comes to yixing, something about this pot just strikes me.  Most importantly it brews good tea.