This incense burner takes the form of a simple fishing boat. The incense was inserted through a removable lid in the thatched roof. Its undulating wave patterns stretching from bow to stern, the little boat swinging on its chain amid swirling wisps of fragrant smoke would create a delightful image of flotation. Incense plays an important role in the Japanese tea ceremony, which emphasizes heightening the five senses: the decor of the room; the sound of hissing kettles; the tactile weight, texture, and form of a cup; the aromatic scent of incense; and the taste of the tea.
The name Ko-Kiyomizu, or Old Kiyomizu, refers to the popular Pure Water, or Kiyomizu, Temple in the eastern hills of Kyoto, where tea masters still trek for its water. It is characterized by a predominance of blue and green overglaze enamels, sometimes accented with gold and other pigments as well. Although gaps remain in our understanding of the history of ceramic production in Kyoto, we know the city's potters were making high-fired ceramics with colorful enamels applied over a transparent glaze during the decades around 1650. The decorative objects by the genius potter Nonomura Ninsei spurred great innovations in Kyoto ceramics.
A lifetime adrift in a boat, . . . every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
-Poet BashÅ, 1644-1694, from "Narrow Road to the Interior"
