Utsuwa Katachi: Japanese Ceramics

‘If you align your two little fingers and cup your hands together, you make the basic shape of an Utsuwa.’ The art of Japanese pottery-making culminates here. The word means “container” or “vessel”, but if you focus too much on just the word, you might miss something. Behind, lies a range of cultural associations such as humility, gratitude and open-heartedness, which the ceramic producers transfer to the distinctive forms of their work. One wonders no more when looking at the range of bowls, dishes, pots, tea bowls, katakutchis, sake bottles and jars ornamenting the pages of this book.