"Pinch, pinch, pinch,
A bowl appears.
The fire is red hot."
(Anonymous inscription on a Meiji period Raku chawan)
I have a friend who is very interested in the Raku-yaki works of Raku Kichizaemon XV.
Talking with him about Kichizaemon, it is abundantly clear about his passion
for this work and got me thinking more about modern Raku, which simply means
"enjoyment" in Japanese. Over the years, I have participated in the
modern Western approximation of Raku a number of times, even seeing the late Paul
Soldner make and fire Raku along the way. In a series of trips to Japan, we
visited the Raku Museum in Kyoto a number of times and that really opened my
eyes to the true nature and process of Raku from the late Momoyama-jidai to the
present. Though spread out over centuries, there is an identifiable thread that
links these works and makes them instantly recognizable as Raku.
I have seen a number of really great historic and modern
Raku works, including the works of
Hon’ami Koetsu, Raku Chojiro, Raku Kichizaemon XIV and XV and the
diversity among these works though large is all tied together in what appears
to be a simple set of guidelines concerning the pottery and its prescribed use
in Cha(no)yu. While examining the Raku
pieces on display, which also included an exhibition of chawan by Kichizaemon
XV, there are a number of characteristics that are seen throughout the work,
that identifiable thread. This always makes me think back on one of the first
Japanese pottery books (in English) I ever read; JAPANESE POTTERY (1971) by
Soame Jenyns.
To paraphrase from his book with a few of my personal
thoughts and additions, Jenyns quotes pottery expert Imaizumi Yosaku, on
the five points or basis to judge good
Raku chawan. Though broad and vague, the actual teaching of these points is as
involved as tea itself. These criterion are as downplayed as Sen (no) Rikyu’s
(1522-1591) take on tea, which is one of the great over simplifications; “The art of tea way consists simply of boiling
water, preparing tea and drinking it.”
1) The Mouth; the mouth should be a fitting
"conclusion" of the form and terminate in a way that it is
comfortable to the mouth and at the same time aids to cut the stream of the
tea. If the mouth is too prominent, it can take away from the form and overall
appearance. The surface of the lip should not be too rough to the lip of the
user.
2) The shape of the teapool; the mikomi most be just
appropriate and concave enough to accommodate the whisking of the tea and not
so obvious that it detracts from the interior form and the overall form by
distorting the base and kodai. The pool should also be smooth as to not cause
any damage to the whisk and be free of any pocks or blisters which can trap the
dry tea.
3) The shape of the base; the base of the bowl should be accommodating
to the hand, just smooth enough to be comfortable, but rough enough to create a
transition from the bowl form to the foot. The base should also create a foot
that keeps the bowl steady.
4) The finish of the base; the finish should again be very
comfortable to the hand, and be addressed so as to be “sculpted” in a way that
it complements the form and appears natural and uncontrived.
5) The place where the tea whisk rests; this detail is
usually missed among many chawan makers, there must be a conceived and well integrated
“place” where the maker understands and sees the chasen resting against the wall and lip of the chawan. This
spot must by very natural but obvious to chajin and collectors when looking at
the bowl.
Masatoshi Okochi, another expert, adds two additional
criterion when judging Raku chawan;
6) Glaze and color; the glaze must be fired to the right
temperature and is allowed to run down and create a rolling landscape or visual
to the bowl, this detail is best when it is suggestive or evokes a naturalistic
appearance. The color of the glaze must “blend” into the glaze and support and
compliment the form. The color must also
take into account the balance between the glaze color and variations in whisked
tea. The depth and richness of the best glazes are not easy to describe, but
once seen, they are never forgotten.
7) Sugata; The form must asks to be handled, picked up and
set down and imparts a steady stance when it is at rest and in use from the
preparation of tea, to whisking to the actual act of drinking the tea. The
posture of the bowl is staged by how the base and form interact.
p>
Like the utter simplicity of Sen (no) Rikyu's explanation of
tea ceremony, the guidelines and rules concerning the Raku chawan and chadogu
is rather simplified and seems like nothing more than common sense. As you
examine the number of great Raku chawan though, the subtleties and complexities
of their manufacture is written in their form and varying attributes. In seeing
a vast number of Raku chawan it is clear that many potters have not mastered
the art of this style of work and that there is much more to these simple Raku
chawan than a bowl pinched from a small ball of clay.
Illustrated is a lusterous Kuro-raku chawan by Konishi Heinai II (b.1928) of the Taikogama.
This chawan has a luscious black citron style surface and the form is broad and
very solid in appearance. It rests on a narrow, hand tooled foot and the entire
chawan is covered in the rich black Raku glaze. Konishi studied and was later
adopted by his uncle Konishi Heinai I and also went on to study with Kawakita
Handeishi (1878-1963) and though adept at a variety of styles, he is best known
for his chadogu in Raku and Iga-yaki. This fine chawan shows the careful
thoughtfulness of Konishi's understanding of Raku from the lyrical roving lip
and excellent choice of the tong mark placement.
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