This Bunzan pot shows Ito Kaoru at his most playful and controlled at the same time. The form is a quiet, low oval on four compact feet; all the movement is in the surface. It is the kind of piece that looks simple from a distance and becomes more and more articulate when you handle it.
The body is made from Bunzan’s own blend of Echizen and Shigaraki clay, a light grey stoneware with very fine dark inclusions. On the underside and feet you can read the clay clearly: dense, speckled, fired hard enough for serious outdoor use, yet not vitrified to the point of becoming “dead”. This body breathes, which matters for long-term cultivation. Walls and base are kept relatively thin and even, so the pot is strong but not heavy, and the four small feet give excellent stability without drawing attention to themselves.
Over this body he has laid a high-expansion crackle glaze in a fresh lemony yellow. During cooling, the tension between clay and glaze pulls the surface into that intricate network of dark lines. The pattern is not random; it comes from very precise control of thickness and firing curve, so that the crackle stays fine and even across the whole pot. The warm red blush on one side is a second application, probably an iron-rich wash, that has been allowed to feather gently into the yellow. Visually it suggests the first touch of colour in young foliage, or a single fruit against spring leaves – a strong seasonal cue in a very small gesture.
Echizen, one of Japan’s historic kiln regions, is traditionally known for rather austere, unglazed stoneware. Bunzan stands firmly in that lineage of honest, functional pottery, but chooses a much more contemporary glaze language. You still see the discipline of the old kilns: the perfectly placed drainage holes, the two wire holes exactly where you need them, the cleanly cut foot pads, the tough, practical clay. On top of that, this bright crackle glaze is unmistakably his own research and experience speaking.
From a bonsai point of view, the pot is highly usable. The low oval will sit naturally under a refined shohin deciduous tree, a flowering species or a tree with strong fruiting. The fresh yellow with its single red accent will work beautifully with red or orange berries, red or bronze autumn colour, and very dark or very pale bark. The crackle gives life to the surface without competing with fine ramification.
What makes this piece particularly special is the sense of assurance in every decision: the quiet form, the carefully tuned clay body, the controlled yet lively crackle, and that one red note placed exactly where the composition needs it. In a period where many pots bearing the Bunzan seal come from students, a pot with this level of clarity and maturity carries the unmistakable voice of the master himself.
