One of two stellar Chawan we picked up this summer from Furutani Taketoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Chawan.Typical of his bowls, and a feature which makes them stand out, he is able to get a very thin wall, which makes the bowls light and easy to handle, with a delicate feel quite apart from the wild effects they receive in the firing.It is 12 x 11 x 9 cm (5 x 4-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches) and is in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
Furutani Taketoshi was born the son of master craftsman Furutani Hirofumi in 1974, graduating the Shigaraki Industrial High School Ceramics department in 1992 before entering the Shiga prefectural Ceramics Research Facility studying wheel technique, graduating the following year. He then did a year apprenticeship at a pottery before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From that year he returned to the family kiln, receiving the family tradition from both his grandfather Furutani Churoku and father Furutani Hirofumi. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality, very much rooted in the now, but paying homage to the traditions past down through the ages. He was named a Designated Traditional Craftsman (Dento Kogeishi) in 2013. He has exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten among others, and still works closely with his father at the family kiln.
