Vase

Harada Shūroku trained with the masters of the Bizen kilns, making mostly unglazed, dark-red wares that have scorch patterns as their primary decoration. This vase is in his most experimental style, which he calls ranbari, a Japanese carpentry term for wood flooring composed of boards of various sizes laid down in random order. He creates a relatively smooth and conventional ceramic form, then applies patches of very rough clay to the outside in a meandering grid that resembles a stone wall.