all of the elements of style, finally , are expressive. take ceramics as an example. the kind of clay, the degree of heat at which it is baked, the decoration or glaze (if any), the shape of the vessel, the thickness of its wall, all are elements of the potter's style, and all contribute to the expressive from. but not every expressive from is available in every age; certain visions, and certain technologies, are, in certain ages, unavailable. porcelain, as opposed to pottery, requires a particular kind of clay and an extremely high temperature in the kiln, and these were simply not available to the earliest japanese potters. potters. even the potter's wheel was not available to them; they built their pots by coiling ropes of clay and then, sometimes,they smoothed the surface with a spatula. the result is a kind of thick-walled,low-fired ceramic that expresses energy and earthiness, far different from those delicate chinese porcelains that express courtliness and the power of technology (or,we might say , of art)