Journal · 手記 · Reading a glaze
Green, over blue: reading a glaze on a square by Keiun
16 October 2026
A square by Keiun, 12 cm. Before the maker or the mark, look at where the glaze goes — and where it stops.
At a glance
- Maker
- Keiun 桂雲
- Form
- Square, flaring sides, bracket feet
- Size
- 12 cm
- Glaze
- Green, over a band of blue
- Mark
- 桂雲, cut with a point; no frame
01 · 壁 Down the wall
Where the green breaks
Look at the walls: the green glaze comes down in a band and breaks, and blue shows below it.
Read it from the rim downwards, and notice where the green stops and the blue begins.
02 · 縁 At the rim and corners
Where it gathers
On the rim and at the corners the green gathers darker, and fine crackle shows in the glaze. Rims and corners are always worth a second look.
03 · 落款 Turn it over
Cut, not stamped
The foot bears a written mark rather than a stamp: 桂雲 — two characters, one above the other, cut into the foot with a point. There is no frame.
Because this example is cut by hand, exact stroke-for-stroke comparison should be treated cautiously.
Available from YAKUMO JAPAN
See this pot on eBayRead further
- Keiun 桂雲 — maker pageThe maker and the mark
- Clay & GlazeReading glaze and clay
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