IKKO 一洸 (Watanabe Kazuhiro 渡邉一弘) – 常滑 - 37.0cm Oval 楕円形 – Ao-Oribe Glazed 青織部釉

Product Details（商品詳細: On hold; I might use it... but you can ask!

Region（産地）: Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture（愛知県常滑市）
Kiln（窯元）: IKKO Kiln（一洸窯）
Artist（作家）: Second-generation IKKO（二代目 一洸）– Watanabe Kazuhiro（渡邉一弘）

Description（作品説明）:

A fine artisan-made Japanese bonsai pot（日本製・職人作の盆栽鉢）by Second-generation IKKO 二代目 一洸, Watanabe Kazuhiro 渡邉一弘, from Tokoname（常滑）, Aichi Prefecture.

This pot is formed in a classical oval shape（楕円形 / daen-gata）, with beautifully balanced proportions and gently rounded walls. The body carries a subtle outward fullness before drawing inward towards the base, producing a soft, elegant silhouette and an excellent sense of balance（均衡）.

The exterior is finished in a beautiful Ao-Oribe glaze（青織部釉）, displaying rich deep-green and emerald tones with delicate variation across the surface. The glaze has considerable depth and character（釉景）, changing subtly with the surrounding light while retaining its rich green appearance.

The upper edge is finished with a refined, gently projecting external lip（外縁 / sotobuchi）. Its softly rounded profile follows the complete oval form, providing a delicate raised border and giving definition to the upper silhouette without making the pot appear heavy.

A particularly attractive detail is the very subtle basal band（腰帯 / koshi-obi） running around the lower body. This is highlighted by a fine dark-blue glazed line（濃青釉線）, creating an elegant contrast against the green Oribe glaze and providing a crisp visual transition into the foot structure.

The pot rests on four cut, integrated feet（四方切足）. Each foot follows the curvature of the oval form, maintaining the flowing silhouette of the pot while providing a low, stable stance（安定感）. The exposed edges of the feet reveal the warm natural Tokoname clay（常滑土）, creating a pleasing contrast against the glazed exterior.

The interior is predominantly unglazed（内側無釉）, leaving the natural warm clay body exposed, while the rich green glaze continues neatly across the upper rim.

The base is arranged with one central drainage hole（中央排水穴）and four peripheral drainage and wiring holes（排水・針金穴）, providing effective drainage and practical anchoring points for securing the tree.

The underside bears the impressed square 「一洸」 seal（一洸角印）, identifying the work of IKKO and providing an important feature for collectors.

The combination of the classical oval form（楕円形）, rich Ao-Oribe glaze（青織部釉）, refined external lip（外縁）, subtle basal band（腰帯）with dark-blue glazed accent（濃青釉線）, and carefully formed cut feet（切足） creates a beautifully composed Japanese bonsai pot with an understated sense of shibui（渋い） elegance.

External Dimensions（外寸）: 37.0 × 30.7 × 8.5cm
Internal Dimensions（内寸）: 33.5 × 27.1 × 7.1cm

Condition（状態）: Excellent!

Free Shipping to mainland UK（英国本土への送料無料）

About the Potter – IKKO 一洸 / Watanabe Kazuhiro 渡邉一弘

Watanabe Kazuhiro（渡邉一弘）, working under the artist name IKKO（一洸）, is the second-generation IKKO（二代目 一洸） potter associated with Tokoname（常滑）, Aichi Prefecture.

Tokoname is one of Japan's celebrated Six Ancient Kilns（日本六古窯） and has a centuries-old ceramic tradition. Within the specialised world of Japanese bonsai pottery（盆栽鉢）, IKKO is particularly recognised for combining traditional forms with careful construction and accomplished glaze work.

Watanabe Kazuhiro's pots are appreciated for their carefully controlled proportions（均整の取れた造形）, refined detailing, well-considered feet（足造り）, functional drainage arrangements（排水構造）and expressive use of glaze（釉薬技法）. His glazed works can display considerable depth and subtle tonal variation, allowing the container to complement the tree while retaining its own ceramic character.

The impressed 「一洸」 seal（一洸印） on the underside is an important identifying feature of his work and is clearly present on this pot.

Collector's Note（コレクターズノート）

This is an especially attractive example of IKKO's glazed work, combining the restrained simplicity of the traditional oval form（楕円形） with the richness of Ao-Oribe（青織部釉）.

The fine dark-blue glazed line（濃青釉線） applied along the subtle basal band（腰帯） is an elegant decorative detail, providing contrast and definition while remaining restrained. Together with the projecting external lip（外縁）, natural exposed Tokoname clay（常滑土）, four carefully formed cut feet（切足）, and impressed 一洸印, it gives the pot a sophisticated balance between 用と美（yo to bi）— function and beauty.