Japanese potteryArticle Free Pass Japan is a well-wooded
country, and wood has always been used there for domestic
utensils of all kinds, either in a natural state or lacquered.
Until recent times, pottery and porcelain were not employed
extensively for general domestic use but were reserved for such
special purposes as the tea ceremony. In pottery the Japanese
especially admire accidental effects that resemble natural
forms. Objects that appear misshapen and glazes that exhibit
what would usually be regarded as serious imperfections in the
West are admired by the Japanese connoisseur. The Japanese
potter liked to reveal the impress of the hand that made the
object. Marks, such as the ridges left by the fingers in a newly
thrown vessel, were frequently accentuated instead of being
obliterated, and marks made by tools were often left untouched.
Hand modeling was practiced long after the wheel was known, and
asymmetries and irregularities of form were purposely sought.
Similar accidental effects were encouraged