Dear All:
Dale has posted some very interesting facts, but take it from one who
owns more than one Dale Cochoy pot, I would rather have his pots under
my trees than some unknown Japanese (?) artist...

Just my two cents.... I did change the subject, but to answer the
question posed by Iris. What difference does it make... It is worth to
you, if it does the job and makes your tree develop the way you want it
to... training pot or not. ;-)

Carl L. Rosner

dalecochoy wrote:

writes:



I have a sort of semi-training pot for my cedar of Lebanon, about 12


1/2"


long.
It is dark unglazed, probably stoneware but thick and coarse. It is well
made,
with cloud feet. I don't believe it has any marks on the bottom. The


person


who
sold it to me swore it is Tokoname ware. Is this possible? It was not
expensive.



Iris,
The Tokoname AREA turns out pots that are cheap, expensive and really
expensive! Most of the less-expensive cast pots you normally see are from
the area kilns. They are cast jn the same traditional shapes ( and glazed in
same colors) as cast Korean and Chinese pots. Price ( not necessarily
quality) comes in when they are touched more by HAND as in a hand-made,
hand-formed in mold, hand-built, etc. Most area pots I've seen have a stamp
of some type no matter how inexpensive. Some are signed. As I tell people,
it's not that it's stamped or signed, but WHO stamped or signed it!! A guy
in our club thinks a $2 Chinese pot with a stamp on the bottom is really
worth something because it has a "chop on it". Signatures, that's kinda the
same...whose signature is it. I just had sort of a chuckling match last
week when someone was talking about getting a bunch of "signature" pots from
Japan. I'm sure they are probably fine pots and well made ( because I know
him) , but how much more does an unknown ( to us) Japanese guys signature
mean? ( especially if we can't read it). Think about this....aren't ALL
hand-made pots in the USA and Europe "Signature Pots"?? My pots are ALL
signature pots!! The value is in quality and , to some extent, whose
signature.
Look at things like how well it's made, clay quality, firing temp, glaze
quality, stlye, shape, drainage, wiring holes, etc, etc. That stuff tells
you quality, not a stamp or a signature.
BTW, I'm getting very disappointed in these quality, "hand-rubbed" chinese
pots ( That look great) that after a couple months the wax coating ( or
whatever it is) starts drying out on the surface and coming off. Man they
look like crap and require lots of cleaning, oil, brushing to get them back
to looking decent.
Just some thoughts,

Dale "Who makes ONLY signature pots!" Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery





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