Mishima tea bowl c. 20th century

Curator: Standing before us is a piece called “Mishima Tea Bowl,” likely created in the 20th century. It resides here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and it's attributed to Sugimoto Tatsuo. Editor: I must say, I’m struck by the boldness of it. The angular pattern almost fights against the gentle curve of the bowl. It feels simultaneously ancient and modern. Curator: Yes, that push and pull is quite intentional, I think. It’s crafted from earthenware—we see these diagonal incisions filled with white slip, creating that graphic design. The effect speaks to a conversation between material, form, and surface. Editor: Materiality is key, especially thinking about this bowl in the context of the tea ceremony. What kind of labor went into shaping, carving, firing, and ultimately, transforming it from raw clay to refined ritual object? Curator: A tremendous amount! This is not mass-produced; it is lovingly and meticulously handmade. The rough, almost haphazard quality of the slip reminds me of Wabi-sabi, which is the Japanese aesthetic principle centered on simplicity, and the acceptance of imperfection. It's this imperfection that gives the bowl so much personality, do you agree? Editor: Absolutely, and think about how our hands, as the users, come into contact with those surfaces. How its use affects its state as an object. This all affects the ceremony's overall aesthetic sensibility. It speaks volumes about tradition versus individual expression. You know, it also occurs to me that the decoration suggests textiles—woven threads abstracted onto ceramic, almost fooling the eye into sensing texture. Curator: What a lovely observation, its textural interplay is quite remarkable, even for those of us more experienced with ceramic work! It really captures that conversation, echoing materials in an innovative, intriguing fashion. Editor: I agree; that visual dialogue definitely shapes how I think about the relationship between craft and ceremony and the meaning they bring to modern living. Curator: Yes. Perhaps we should remember this bowl as more than just a vessel but rather as a conversation piece.