A geologic silver glazed fresh water jar for use in the Japanese maccha tea ceremony by Kako Katsumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ginsai Mizusashi. The surface is defined by a silvered glaze that has matured into a muted, atmospheric field. Rather than a bright metallic finish, the ginsai reads as softened and weathered, shifting between tones of smoky gray, pale ash, and subdued metallic luster. Countless minute pinholes and eruptive textures animate the surface. Beneath this, faint vertical traces of the forming process remain visible, suggesting the movement of the hand held just below the skin of the glaze. The faceted surface reads like something exposed, as if the vessel had been split or eroded to reveal its underlying structure. Each plane catches light differently, producing subtle shifts between the metallic colors with warmer tones beneath, an effect that recalls stratified rock faces or weathered cliff walls. At the edges and lower body, the glaze thins to reveal warmer earthen tones in iron-rich reds and clay browns. This interplay between concealment and revelation lends the surface a sense of depth. The interior presents a contrasting register: a deep, lustrous brown glaze gathers in a smooth, reflective pool. In its totality, the work carries a subdued gravity. It does not assert itself through overt gesture, but instead invites close attention, where surface, light, and texture find common ground. It is 18.5 x 16 x 19.3 cm (7-1/2 x 6-1/2 x 7-3/4 inches) and is in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
Kako Katsumi was born in Kyoto in 1965, and graduated the ceramics department of Saga Art College in 1986. He was selected for the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition and the Kyoten held at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art in 1988, followed in 1989 by the National Ceramic Art Exhibition and Mino International Ceramics Exhibition. He has since exhibited and or been selected/ awarded many times at these prestigious events. He established his kiln in Nishiwaki City in 1991. In 1994 he worked in Melbourne. Australia, and would create a second kiln in 2001. In 2004 he would be awarded the Prize of Excellence at the Tanabe Museum of Art Modern Tea Forms exhibition. In 2005 he established his current kiln in Sasayama, Hyogo prefecture. In 2009 he his work was featured at the Kikuchi Biennale Exhibition and the following year was awarded at the 4th Contemporary Tea Bowls Exhibition, and in 2011 was selected for the influential Paramita Ceramic Exhibition. 2013 saw him in New York, and 2014 at the Museum of Ceramic Art in Hyogo (Kobe). Held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art among others.
