ABOUT THE OTHER DAY

After writing about my recent Fujiwara Kei experience, I had several people ask to see the chawan in question. As I have previously explained, the owner did not want the photos put up. So, I rifled through a bunch of my books and found a very similar chawan, though in my honest opinion, it is not quite as good as the one I handled. The chawan I was fortunate to handle was made in 1978, the illustrated chawan was made sometime between 1974 and 1983. As you can see, the chawan was fired upside down and where it faced the fire, the ash built up and a rich, fluid, even molten tamadare flowed down to the lip, now correctly oriented, the movement seems to be trying to move off the pot, defying gravity. The rich purple tinged hi-iro is an excellent counterpoint to the ash and paints a very noble and dignified atmosphere about this chawan. The works of Fujiwara Kei are unfettered and uncomplicated, they present an honest expressions that is most welcome among the long standing Bizen tradition.

A QUIET DIGNITY

I will start out by apologizing for not having any pictures to go along with this post, but I am respecting the wishes of the owner to keep the photos to myself. That out of the way, I recently had the opportunity to handle and spend time with a magnificent Fujiwara Kei Bizen chawan. Though a bit on the small side, its rounded form, exceptional potting and firing created a piece well beyond its measurements. Fired upside down, over half of the exterior surface is covered in cascading ash, tamadare, that all moves up to the lip, the remainder of the exterior and interior are covered in a beautiful, even serene purple hued hi-iro sheen with wisps of smoky trails where the fired had caressed the bowl. To some I am sure the bowl may seem out of step with what is modern Bizen, but the quiet dignity of the chawan exudes an inescapable eloquence that few potters can muster. What also can be mistaken for simple throwing is in fact a lifelong dedication to creating pots with a seemingly naive honesty that was present during the days of the Momoyama era. There was a time when this style of potting ushered in a second renaissance, similar to the Momoyama times and lead by the giants of the 20th century; men like Fujiwara Kei, Kaneshige Toyo, Arakawa Toyozo, Nakazato Muan, Miwa Kyuwa and a few others lead a resurgence of ideals that had been long lost. This particular pot and potter managed to create a new voice for Bizen that will act as a standard for centuries to come.

"True eloquence consists in saying all that is proper, and nothing more." Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

ILLUMINATED

Our home, which is built into the side of a hill, faces south and takes full advantage of the sun as it crosses from east to west. In the back corner of the house is a room, at one time a bedroom, we have converted to a library and display area. At just the right time each day, the sun washes into the room from a rather oblique angle lighting up pots as it moves ever more westward. This is one of my favorite times of day to look at a pot that is up on a storage tansu as the sun baths the pot in light. The pot, moves as the sun moves with varying effects highlighted and dramatic reflections and shadows created that are unique each and every day. This instance is one of those moments that conveys the beauty, majesty and essence of the piece and is just another of the myriad of conversations that I can have with a pot. These are some of the moments why I am grateful to live with pottery.

Illustrated is a rather large, O-tsubo by master, veteran Shigaraki potter, Okano Hosei (Noriyo) (b.1937). Having first studied with Kyoto salt firing pioneer, Iwabuchi Shigeya, once finishing his apprenticeship he founded his own studio/kiln specializing in anagama fired Shigaraki pottery. This pot was fired with the mouth slightly tilted toward the fire and the entire shoulder was covered with ash which over time built up, melted and blazed it own series of trails down the circumference of the pot. From my perspective, this pot is truly majestic as it is illuminated by the incoming sunlight in the late afternoon.

INK CHAWAN

Illustrated is a poetic ink and wash rendition of a Rimpa influenced Shino chawan by Mino veteran, Wakao Toshisada. The simplicity of the form, outlined in ink with no superfluous details, houses the ink and wash flower that decorates the chawan. Knowing the work of Wakao, the image conjures to mind how the chawan would look in clay and three dimensions. Though there is little detail, bare bones if you will, everything needed to know this chawan is rendered in a few moments of lyrical brushwork.

MATSUKAWA

I really enjoy the challenges and use of iron in glazing. I have an iron red glaze that can be used thin, like a wash to temper the surfaces of a glaze, like the Oribe and when used thick, it creates cascading waterfalls of streaks that I liken to matsukawa, pine bark. I first saw this matsukawa style in the works of Tsukigata Nahiko and was very interested in the effects and set about to do my best to recreate the look. Over time and experimentation, I was able to get the iron to not only behave in a certain way, but also to travel in predetermined pathways based on textures applied to the wet clay or through the use of slips. Illustrated is a oval teabowl with a diagonal bark texture which channels the iron diagonally around the bowl adding to its sense of momentum. The variation in tones from the amber of the texture high points and the lip to the running olive, iron red and mustardy yellow add to the visual texture as well creating a rich matsukawa pattern that compliments the bowl both visually and texturally. From my perspective, the iron has done its job.

HAGAROMO

Illustrated is a close-up of the yuteki, oil spot style of Kimura Yoshihiro. This evocative surface calls to mind the play, HAGAROMO (The Feather Mantle). The luscious silver feathery trails reach down the tsubo like metallic tendrils enveloping the pot. Given the large size of the pot and the disastrous failure rate, the survival of this piece alone is a significant feat. Created by the son of master temmoku and yuteki specialist, Kimura Morikazu, Kimura Yoshihiro is the perfect inheritor of the dynasty pioneered and forged by the three Kimura brothers; Morikazu, Moriyasu and Morinobu.

You can see more pictures of this wonderful tsubo here;
http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1188146/item1188146store.html

YURIKO!

Illustrated is a close-up detail of underglaze yuriko copper red decoration on a very large tsubo by porcelain veteran, Yoshida Takashi. Born in Osaka in 1934, Yoshida had the great fortune to train with not one exceptional master, but three; Tomimoto Kenkichi, Kondo Yuzo and Fujimoto Yoshimichi, all three Ningen Kokuho for their porcelain works. The floral decoration stands out against the stark, pure white background and as you survey the decoration, the original brush strokes can be seen within the expanding halo of the copper red design. In areas that his brush first touched the bisque porcelain, faint green dots, punctuate the mostly red decoration. Once the pot was fully decorated, the piece was glazed over in a clear glaze, trapping the red and creating the lush and extravagant floral decoration. There is little room for error in this type of decoration which relies on spontaneity and speed to achieve its ultimate goal; yuriko!

IT'S MONDAY

It's Monday, a Monday after the completion of another cycle and a down day. The only studio work I did today was to clean up, put shelves, posts, pyrometer and gloves back in their spots and sweep the floor. It is a slow day, no orders on the books, no commissions and what to make next, is entirely up in the air at the moment. It's Monday and I think I will simply take satisfaction in that fact and another firing that came out well with no loses, no crawling, nothing stuck to the shelves, what more can you ask for?

Illustrated is a solemn, solitary print by Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997) entitled; NARA. This print reminds me of a quote that a friend was oft times heard to say; "All know the way, few walk it."   (Bodhidharma)

A PINCH OF THIS, A PINCH OF THAT

I have been testing variations to a few different formulas I use recently, my Oribe(s) included. For years I have used a small pinch of iron in the formula to temper the overall "green-ness" of the glaze and have decided to take it a step further. I recently made an overglaze composed of red iron oxide and frit made up extremely thin and then dipping the glazed Oribe (TPCu) pot into it. The addition of the wash over the Oribe has certainly tempered the green and created varying tones as well as softening the overall appearance. The bowl illustrated is a test bowl that I have been working out new textures on, the combination of the Oribe and the wash seem to accentuate the texture and create variation in the surface, especially in the recesses of the piece. In evaluating new glazes and surfaces it is rather important to keep good records, but I wonder how greatly "a pinch of this and a pinch of that" varies from potter to potter?

YOU KNOW ME?

Illustrated is a simple yunomi, eminently practical and thoroughly useful made by Tsukigata Nahiko. It is this type of direct and unfettered work that helps glimpse into the true nature of the potter. Though best known for his Oni-Shino and Oni-Iga works, Tsukigata was quite adept at a wide variety of styles which included Ki-Seto, Shigaraki, Hagi and Kohihi wares. This Hagi style yunomi is made in one of his classic forms he used for gunomi, yunomi and even chawan and the surface landscape is highly animated with varying shades of color, ishihaze and crackled slip about the piece. The tall foot accentuates the vertical nature of the form and it is easy to see the piece in hand and in use as it was intended. Though simple in form and execution, it seems to me that the simplest of things are usually bound up in a maze of complexity.

MONDAY BLUES IX

There is little I can say about this magnificent Persian influenced vase; from my perspective it is simply a masterwork by the late Ningen Kokuho, Kato Takuo. First thrown in a white clay and  painstakingly altered into a rectangular form, he accentuated areas around the piece with tool and spatula marks to further animate the pot. The upper tier has a number of hand modeled rams heads in various poses with accents of gold over the truly this inspired Toruko-ao glaze. The pot conveys an essential timelessness as if it had been made in 13th century Persia and survived intact to this very day. The white crackle "frosting" across the surface adds a sense of dynamic tension that creates a wondrous sense of the exotic and mysterious to yet another piece that is thoroughly out of place and out of time.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Admit it, when you think of Suzuki Goro, Ki-Seto, Oribe, Seto-Guro and Shino spring to mind; however, his diversity  and experimentation is broad and quite accomplished. One of the staples of Suzuki's works as far back as the 1970's has been his Shigaraki influenced pots in every shape and size. Back in the 1970's and 1980's a good number of his pots were Shigaraki style while currently they seem to be a much smaller percentage of his output. His Shigaraki pieces have the same dynamic sensibility to them as much earlier Momoyama and Edo works and the clay is handled in a brusque and masculine manner that creates their bold, almost bushi-like nature. Add to Suzuki-san's bold handling of the clay, firings that accentuate and animate his pottery and you can not help but have a winning combination.

Illustrated is a very medieval inspired Shigaraki tsubo by Suzuki Goro. This tsubo has a very austere, weathered appearance and a powerful stance and presence. Striped of the superfluous, Suzuki has decided to let the bare essentials convey his message; the simple lines, lugs, decoration and ash bring the pot to life like a resurrected medieval pot, recently unearthed and still ready for any purpose or challenge.