Mori Togaku 森 陶岳 Japanese, b. 1937
H27.9 × W12.7 × D12.7 cm
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This work is particularly compelling, as it directly reflects Mori's late 1990s experiments with glass and innovative firing techniques. The surface is especially intriguing, having been shaped in a glass mold. After firing, while the piece was still hot, Mori would carefully chip away the glass, leaving behind unique geometric 'ghost' marks. These subtle imprints of the glass texture add depth to the piece. The work is also a geometrically fascinating form, with squared, ribbed features and variegated clay patterns across the Bizen body.
This piece is published in the catalogue raisonné “Mori Tohgaku” published in 1999.
A leading potter of traditional Bizen firing techniques, Mori Togaku 森 陶岳 (b. 1937) has epitomized wood-firing techniques with the large Momoyama-inspired climbing kilns that he has built. Not only have his spiritual inclinations influenced his works, but his works are also historically informed. His kilns are made using Muromachi-inspired firing techniques, along with the additional flair of his contemporary material experimentations. His reintroduction of the Ogama to modern and contemporary pottery has revived the Bizen craft.