On our trip to Japan my husband and I visited an amazing pottery collection at the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery in Kyoto.
We purchased a modest but gorgeous vessel by the noted Kaneta Masanao. Here is a tea bowl by Masanao owned by MIA, the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Ours is a fairly monochromatic vessel, with deep gray undertones bordering on blue and a white hagi glaze. The indentations on the angular sides fit your fingers perfectly. We brought home our treasure in its exquisite padded box.
To display our ceramic vessel, I wove a square mat in Norwegian flesberg technique, with rows of varying borders. Our Scandinavian Weavers Study Group has a group project on the loom at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. (It wasn’t so easy; here are my weaving notes on the Scandinavian Weavers blog, “That’s Why it’s Called a Study Group.”)
While weaving the intricate patterns, I feared that the precise geometric patterning would be too bold, and detract rather than enhance the Masanao ceramic. I was wrong. The rough glaze of the vessel, and its strong angular shape, stand up well against the strong patterning.
“What will we do with this?” Mike asked when we were considering the piece we bought, versus buying a small bowl.
“Sake?” I suggested. Maybe with the Norwegian runner below, aquavit would work too.