When I think of Aka-Shino, I think of rich,
deep, even mysterious surfaces where the iron rich slip percolates up through
the feldspar glaze. It is the really deep reds, royal reds that are so
captivating, like the surface is alive with iron, where the transition between
Aka-Shino and Murasaki Shino blurs. There have been a number of great potters
who make Aka-Shino and no list would be complete without the original masters; Arakawa
Toyozo and Kato Tokuro and his elegant Murasaki-Shino (Murasaki-Nioi). Though
both are an exceptionally high bar of achievement, there are a handful of
living potters who have also rightfully set the bar very high; Hayashi Shotaro,
Suzuki Osamu, Yamada Kazu and Tamaoki Yasuo. Often considered one of
"Mino's five great hopes", Tamaoki Yasuo (b.1941) is now one of the
greats among the diverse Mino traditions creating Shino and Oribe works that
are those exceptional blends of the old and the new, among which, his use of
swirling and undulating resisted decoration is a welcome and adventurous
addition to modern day Shino.
Dating from the early 1990's, this wonderful
Aka-Shino bowl is an exceptional example of the work of Tamaoki Yasuo. The
powerful form, tapering into the mouth with its undulating lip conjure up long
past memories of the Momoyama era while firmly planted in more modern time. The
rich red to orange tones are cloaked over in thicker running milky feldspar
creating an evocative landscape that changes as the bowl is moved. It is the
experienced hand of a master potter that bends happenstance into artlessness
and beauty, for Tamaoki, this is a skill that appears to emanate naturally from
his work.
"There is one art, no more, no less; to do
all things with artlessness." A short "gruk" by Piet Hein
(1905-1996)
.JPG)