As the story goes, while a university student studying art, Uraguchi Masayuki discovered a Southern Song dynasty celadon vase at the Tokyo National Museum. The rest was history, as the inspiration triggered by this encounter caused him to pursue ceramics. He would study under Miura Koheiji, the first Living National Treasure for seiji celadon. And you can some see similarities between their work, not only in the colour of their seiji, but also in the distinctive warm web of crazing that covers both their work.

Uraguchi shaped this mizusashi without a foot: the water jar’s rounded body rests gently on the table, with elegantly swelling walls that flare like an opening flower or leaf. The foliate rim alternates between curves and points, appearing like one of the Imperial family’s crests - a combination perhaps of cherry blossom, chrysanthemum, and paulownia leaf.

The black lacquer lid - common for mizusashi - completes the water jar with a dramatic contrast between the deep black and the soft and cool celadon blue. A fellow ceramics lover noted to me that these black lacquer lids seem to emphasize the emptiness of the jar. If you look from just the right angle, the mizusashi doesn’t appear to have a lid at all. Instead it’s as if you are looking into the pure black of the universe.

Comes with the signed, stamped, and titled wood box, stamped wrapping cloth, and CV.