Mitsue Kataoka 片岡光恵 (Reiho’s Wife) – Tokoname 常滑市 – 11.5cm Round 丸鉢 – Unglazed 無釉

Product Details / 商品詳細: Personal Colection...

Region / 産地: Tokoname 常滑市, Aichi Prefecture 愛知県
Kiln / 窯元: Reiho Kiln 玲峰窯
Potter / 陶工: Mitsue Kataoka 片岡光恵
Style / 形式: Handmade Japanese round unglazed woven-basket form bonsai pot 丸形無釉編み籠造り盆栽鉢
Seal / Mark / 落款: Small impressed square potter’s mark 角印 / kaku-in to the underside

Description / 説明:

A rare and highly expressive handmade Japanese bonsai pot 盆栽鉢 by Mitsue Kataoka (片岡光恵), wife of Reiho, produced in Tokoname 常滑市, Aichi Prefecture 愛知県. Created as a special-order piece, this compact round form (丸鉢 / maru-bachi) is executed in natural unglazed Tokoname clay (無釉常滑土 / muyu Tokoname-tsuchi) and fully constructed in a distinctive woven-basket form (編み籠造り / amikago-zukuri).

The woven construction is the defining feature of the pot. Individually hand-formed clay elements are overlapped and interlocked around the body 胴 / do, creating a strongly three-dimensional surface 立体感 / rittaikan with natural rhythm 律動 / ritsudo and movement 動き / ugoki. The woven structure continues continuously around the body and through the upper edge, giving the vessel the convincing appearance of a hand-built basket rather than a conventional pot with applied surface decoration.

The body gently tapers towards the base, giving the compact form a stable stance 安定感 / anteikan while preserving the organic character of the construction. The natural unglazed clay 無釉土 / muyu-tsuchi displays attractive kiln-fired variation 窯変 / yohen, with earthy brown, grey and iron-rich tones settling differently across the individual clay elements and emphasising the depth of the weave.

The coarse, tactile clay surface has particularly expressive tsuchi-aji (土味), while subtle ageing and natural surface development 経年変化 / keinen henka enhance the recesses and overlapping layers. The resulting character has a strong wabi-sabi (侘寂) quality, where irregularity, texture and hand-worked construction are central to the aesthetic.

The interior 鉢内 / hachinai is smoothly hand-finished in contrast to the sculptural exterior. Its softly rounded bowl-like profile leads naturally towards a single central drainage hole (水抜き穴 / mizunuki-ana) accompanied by two smaller wiring holes (針金穴 / harigane-ana), providing practical drainage (排水 / haisui) and secure anchoring 針金固定 / harigane kotei for planting.

The pot stands on three substantial rounded integral feet (三丸足 / san maru-ashi), individually formed and arranged around the base to create a stable three-point stance (三点支持 / santen shiji). Their rounded, button-like form provides a subtle visual lift while remaining fully in keeping with the hand-built character of the vessel.

Viewed from the underside 鉢底 / hachizoko, the woven construction can be seen continuing around the base, reinforcing the fact that this is a true amikago-zukuri (編み籠造り) vessel rather than a surface-patterned pot. The underside also bears a small impressed square potter’s mark (角印 / kaku-in) positioned between the woven elements.

The combination of compact round form (丸鉢), hand-built woven-basket construction (編み籠造り), natural unglazed clay (無釉), three rounded maru-ashi (丸足) and richly textured tsuchi-aji (土味) gives this pot a highly individual and sculptural presence.

It is particularly well suited to kusamono (草物), accent plantings 添え植え / soe-ue, or expressive bonsai compositions where texture, movement and wabi-sabi (侘寂) aesthetics are desired.

External dimensions / 外寸: 11.5cm diameter × 5.0cm high
Internal dimensions / 内寸: 10.2cm diameter × 4.0cm deep

Condition / 状態: Excellent! 非常に良好

About the Potter – Mitsue Kataoka 片岡光恵

Mitsue Kataoka (片岡光恵) is associated with the Reiho Kiln (玲峰窯) in Tokoname and is known as the wife of Reiho. Her work is encountered far less frequently than standard Reiho production and is especially notable when it departs from conventional bonsai-pot forms in favour of more individual hand-built and sculptural construction.

This example demonstrates a highly personal approach to Tokoname bonsai pottery (常滑盆栽鉢), emphasising teshigoto (手仕事), natural clay character 土味 / tsuchi-aji, organic irregularity 自然味 / shizenmi, and a strong sensitivity to wabi-sabi (侘寂) aesthetics.

Collector’s Note / コレクターズノート:

This is a particularly unusual example of Mitsue Kataoka’s (片岡光恵) work and a distinctive piece associated with the wider Reiho kiln (玲峰窯) tradition. The fully hand-built woven-basket construction (編み籠造り) gives the vessel a sculptural quality rarely encountered in conventional Tokoname bonsai pots.

The individually formed clay elements, naturally varied yohen (窯変) surface, richly developed tsuchi-aji (土味), three rounded maru-ashi (丸足) and small impressed kaku-in (角印) combine to create a highly individual object with strong collector appeal.

Its compact proportions and expressive surface make it especially suitable for kusamono (草物), accent plantings 添え植え, or a collection focused on rare and unconventional Tokoname bonsai pottery (常滑盆栽鉢).