Flask (tokkuri) c. 20th century

This flask, or *tokkuri*, was made by Tsujimura Shirō, though we don’t know exactly when. Just looking at it, I can imagine Tsujimura’s hands shaping the clay, feeling the give and take of the material as it slowly takes form. There’s this tension in the glaze—a kind of controlled chaos. The drips and spots of green and white are like musical notes dancing across the surface, interrupted by earthy, reddish hues at the bottom. It reminds me a bit of some abstract expressionist paintings, where the artist lets the paint do its thing, embracing chance and accident. The little nubbin of clay clinging to the side is like a stubborn thought. What was Tsujimura thinking as he made this? Was he wrestling with tradition, or just letting his intuition guide him? Either way, it speaks to that ongoing conversation between artists across time—a conversation about touch, texture, and the messy, beautiful process of creation.