Water container (mizusashi) c. 1990

This is ‘Water container (mizusashi)’ by Furutani Michio, who made it using Shigaraki stoneware. When I look at this, I imagine Furutani in his studio, working with the raw, elemental stuff of earth and fire. The container has a kind of stoic, quiet presence. The clay is rough, almost primal, contrasting with the smooth, reflective lid. It’s a meeting of opposites—the earthbound and the ethereal. See how the glaze drips like water stains, mapping the path of the firing, capturing something uncontrolled and wild? It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s painterly gestures, or maybe even some of the Abstract Expressionists, but with a Japanese sensibility for imperfection and naturalness. Furutani is speaking a language beyond words here. He’s whispering about time, about the earth, about change, and about the silent conversations artists have with each other across generations. It's a container, yes, but also a statement.