A lump of clay; what forms sleep undiscovered within? There are many ways potters can shape the "earth" they see, the most common is to throw it on a wheel or rokuro. Other ways include tebineri (hand-pinching), himo-zukuri (coil-building), tatara-zukuri (slab-building) or wari-gata (piece-molding).
One technique that fascinates me is called kuri nuki, or "carving out." The potter will take some type of tool and slowly whittle into the clay to search for a form. There's no throwing, pinching or coiling; just discovery by digging. The form is born from the clay more than created by the potter. It is a process that requires intuition and trust -- and the results can be quite striking.
Bizen potter Hiroyuki Wakimoto's kuri nuki creations are just that: These primitive clay monoliths are powerful statements, even though most are less than 25 cm tall. His work goes on display today, until March 24, at Gallery Midori-en in Okayama City, (086) 233-2227.