A lustrous black Tenmoku glaze envelops the rounded form of this unusual vase by Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tenmoku-yū Hakumon Tsubo, its dark surface interrupted by a single luminous band of white encircling the shoulder. The simplicity of the title reflects the remarkable economy of the work itself: a rounded form, a field of deep black, and a single white gesture transformed through glaze and fire. However, the white band is not simply decoration. It follows the circumference of the vessel but is slightly irregular and feathery, almost as though one glaze has reacted against another. Against the deep glossy Tenmoku it becomes a remarkably strong graphic gesture. The lower half is also important: the black is not uniform, but densely populated with tiny pale flecks that only gradually become apparent. Thus the vase changes considerably with distance—from almost severe black-and-white abstraction to a much more complex glazed surface when examined closely. It is 25 cm (10 inches) diameter, 26.5 cm (10-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Shimizu Uichi (1926-2004) was born in Kyoto the son of a ceramic dealer. Discarding the family business, he apprenticed in plastic arts under future Living National Treasure Ishiguro Munemaro. His work retains some principal elements of his teachers style while incorporating an understated elegance and avant-garde spirit of challenge uncommon for his time. He was first exhibited at the Nitten in 1951, receiving numerous awards there since. He also took the gold medal at the Prague International Exhibition, and was at the Brussels World Exposition. He is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto Museum of Modern art, Clark Center and the Freer Gallery among many others.
