THE CLASSICS

In studying the classics, in this case Ki-Seto, one of the essential 20th century potters of that idiom that needs to be singled out is of course Kagami Shukai (1941-2009) whose pots were deeply rooted in the styles archetypes with a sense of his modern touch. The illustrated Ki-Seto mizusashi has that classic sensibility appearing like a molded pot of the Edo period yet was thrown and altered to this unique shape. The lozenge form of this pot goes back to various traditions and styles of the Edo period which ties this piece firmly between antiquity and modern times cloaked in Kagami's well known Ki-Seto glaze with detailed areas highlighted where marks were made in the soft clay. The whole package is made complete with a wonderful cryptomeria cypress lid with attached wood handle, the overall feel with this lid roots it even more firmly in days gone by. I think it is impossible to think about modern Ki-Seto without bringing Kagami Shukai in to the conversation where he is associated with the likes of Arakawa Toyozo, Kato Kozo, Hori Ichiro, Hara Kenji and Hayashi Kyosuke, there may be others to add to this list but there is no denying this is certainly good company to keep.

AN INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE

A while back I had a rather nice Oribe mizusashi in hand that a collector was parting with and I managed to take quite a few photos of the piece which I will eventually turn in to a slideshow video. The mizusashi is by Higashida Shigemasa and the interior perspective photo illustrated here captures the wondrous and almost eerie iridescence that was created through all of the glaze pooling at the bottom of the pot and the copper trapped at the surface.  As you look around the interior of the pot there are so many varying effects, like a light show that are to be seen depending on the angle and light source from the mentioned iridescence to thick blankets of speckled copper-blue pools with crystals manifesting on the surface. It is a shame that there are so many pots we are both familiar with and only getting acquainted with and their mysteries are hidden under lids and lurking on the unseen sides of photographs. I hope this adds a small dimension to this mizusashi by Higashida and the ever expanding possibilities of, in this case Oribe pottery.

MISNOMER

Illustrated is a teabowl that came out of a recent firing along with a few other bowls in this series. Though I realize it is certainly a misnomer, I have been referring to this type as Kuro-Oribe style, black Oribe as depending on the use of the overglaze I can make it go from what you see here to a very dark, blackish surface.  Name aside, this is a fun and somewhat unpredictable surface to work with areas of droozy, running glaze and sparkling iron specks that catch the light adding a new twist on the existing Oribe that I am working with. Despite the addition of the overglaze and the formation of small cell like attributes across the surface the sharp edges of the facets still poke through showing a glimpse of the clay color in the midst of the green and black of the bowl. As a last observation, this new combination runs to build up a super rich surface on all of the horizontal lines and projections from lip to the base of the bowl creating an interesting segmentation of the pot. I realize there is still a lot more to try with this glaze combination but so far so good.

POSITIVELY OLD SCHOOL

Though I would be hard pressed to date this positively old school rustic wood fired mallet vase, if pushed I would guess it was likely made in the mid-1970s. Made by Takauchi Shugo, just prior to this date he had changed his life and put suit and tie on a rack and traded them in for more practical pottery making cloths; jeans, apron, denim shirt, the new uniform of a craftsman. Quite a number of Shugo's early work are strictly wood fired, haikaburi style or glazed and wood fired with a wonderful range of surfaces that speak less about Mashiko where he ended up than about an inner vision bursting at the seams. It would be hard to confuse this mallet vase for Mashiko-yaki  having a more Bizen, Echizen or even Tokoname appearance based on a more traditional and rigid form seen by many of the earlier potters but not quite like the forms of Arakawa and Tsukigata for instance. That being said, the surface compliments the form rather nicely making for a rich appearance on a rugged and honest pot. Though I greatly appreciate and even covet Takeuchi Shugo's broad interpretation of Oribe ware I find his early wood and salt fired pots quite enthralling and worth all the attention they can absorb.

There is an old quote by Alexander Pope that has always intrigued me, it goes; "An honest man's the noblest work of God", if this is reasonable or true, is an honest pot the noblest work of a potter?

A GOOD YEAR

In a recent email exchange with the potter Kowari Tetsuya he passed along a group of photos which included two pieces that were singled out for special recognition, 2018 was a good year. Illustrated is a large Oribe object that is a cross between a deconstructivist icon and modern art rendered out of very traditional technique, clay and glaze with a healthy dose of a particular imagination. Receiving a "special prize" at the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (2018) this wondrous object truly shows what extremes and potential lay within the Oribe idiom and tradition. Having a unique resemblance to some science fiction back drop this piece has taken a simple circular object and stood it on its head, adding dimension, power and motion to such a simple element of geometry. Beyond the eloquence of the form and evocative texture the skillful use of the bold, lush Oribe glaze brings a palpable sense of kinetic energy through its implied motion, animating the piece where the glaze has run seemingly defying gravity as it is displayed. This innovative contemporary disk form is further enhanced with variations in the depths of the glaze from light to dark adding even more dimension to this stellar example of Oribe in the 21st century.

"You can understand nothing about art, particularly modern art, if you do not understand that imagination is a value in itself."  Milan Kundera

(Photo courtesy of the artist, Kowari Tetsuya)

VIRENS

I keep working on the various greens that I work with from the multiple Oribe formulas to the old standard medieval green to see what more I can wring out of the copper glazes. The small yunomi pictured is part of a set of six that I made in which I soaked the glaze at high temperature for just a bit and then let it cool as slowly as I could. The results were better than expected and have that lush, verdant quality that only green glazes seem to possess, a depth and richness that cloaks a pot in a comforting warmth and attractive invitation. The deeply impressed decoration has filled up with extra glaze making fro a really dark green appearance and the impressions also help in the function of the yunomi making for a sure grip. I am pleased with this glaze, it is simple to make, simple to use and simple to appreciate when it is fired, what more can you ask from a surface?

ADVERT

Illustrated is a classic 1980s Oni-Shino vase by Tsukigata Nahiko; the photo is from an ad for an exhibition in a Japanese ceramics magazine.  This vase clearly shows the thick, viscous Shino having been pulled apart and crawled during the firing and creating exposed chasms of iron which also shows through the whiteness of the surface about the pot as well. The upper portion of neck and shoulder show areas where natural wood ash has built up and in some places is now dripping down the surface making the whole pot a bit more complication through the intense firing process. The addition of lugs to the form while not exactly unique are not seen that often as a rule and add a dimension that the pot would seem to have needed. This particular form is one of many that Tsukigata relied on over the years having a rather casual and easy to use ambience for tea ceremony, ikebana or for just every day use though the powerful surface would require just the right accompaniment in a floral companion. I should also mention that though I have not handled the vase in the advert, I have handled a number of the Oni-Shino where the glaze was just super thick and unctuous having a gem like appearance, perhaps a bit like opal without the chatoyant flashes but quite provocative and beautiful on its own, I suspect even a hashi rest would be quite wondrous. Add the fierce iron and natural ash and you end up with a landscape like melting ice off a spires face to which a picture of a picture just cannot do it justice.

YURIKO! REVISITED

Quite some time back I wrote a blog post entitled; YURIKO! with a detail shot of a large tsubo by Yoshida Takashi. I was recently asked if I had any overall shots of the pot and if so, could I please send a picture of the pot. I do indeed have an overall, quite a few in fact and choose this picture to give a sense of the piece with its smallish foot, broad shoulder and mouth and wonderful mentori faceting around the pot which in no way interferes with the vivid underglaze decoration. Though I mentioned the pot was large, I believe it was well over a foot tall and wider yet but the exact dimensions escape me at the moment, the images were easier to find than the notes. This jar today is at home with a large, hakuji style fluted tsubo, larger yet by Takanaka Ko making for a rather stark and impressive display.

PERFECT FOR MONDAY

The other day we had customers stop by and bearing gifts to boot. Having seen my post on the Voodoo Donuts, they showed up with two tasty looking Bavarian crème filled donuts with chocolate frosting and green and yellow decoration just like the ones I had illustrated in the prior post though of a much more classical form. The two edible prezzies are nestled in on an old thrown slab plate with a white Shino and resisted iron glaze of which we have a hand full we use for a variety of functions. The iron glaze has a propensity to spot and have a subtle oilspot effect which you cannot see in this photo. Back to the donuts which were cut in to halves and shared along with a piping hot cup of coffee which went quite well with the tasty treats. Though this happened a week ago just looking at the photo makes me feel good on this cold, dreary Monday where the daylight savings effects linger on.

I seem to remember a quote to the effect, "if it weren't for chocolate the world would be filled with a lot of unhappy people", surely they must have misspoke and meant donuts.

INCLINATION

I know I have mentioned that I don't collect guinomi all that often and that most are almost accidental acquisitions but every now and again a piece shows up that I find compelling for any number of reasons.  I purchased this fine little Echizen guinomi a month ago and recently built a short slideshow videos to show it off a bit. Made by Echizen wood firing veteran Nishiura Takeshi this robust and exceptionally down to earth, even earthy guinomi just reminded me a a simple, almost provincial piece easily navigates the old verses new timeline, defying attempts to nail it down to a specific date despite being a product of modern times. The vivid wood fired surface is covered with a wonderful array of Echizen ash effects and the broad, sturdy form looks like it would be at home in the hand of bushi or literati. The palette of colors ranging from blues, greens, greys and browns balance wonderfully against the deep brown-green pool that has frozen to the bottom and would look great looking up from a clear cup of sake. I truly enjoy simple pots like this guinomi, no pretense, no bells and whistles just filled with a vitality and atmosphere that nourishes the spirit (and possibly one's inclination for spirits).

ALL IN

After a recent encounter with a rather nice temmoku chawan by Kimura Morinobu, I searched around and was watching a video of him at work and in a section of the video it shows him tooling the feet of some of his chawan. The illustrated screen capture comes from that video and shows the sequence and style of how he addresses the kodai of his chawan, they all display a common thread, wonderful clay texturing from the tool, direct, fast and just right for each bowl with an attached little pad, stamped with his maker's mark applied after they are tooled. One of the other things I have noticed is that he tends to make a narrower foot, much like those on old Korean rice-bowls which I prefer to a broader foot. I like that a bowl rests on a smaller pedestal and jumps up from that point, asking to be picked up and held. I am sure I have said this before but nothing can sink a chawan faster than a bad kodai and in looking at countless pieces by Kimura Morinobu, it is obvious even in their practiced spontaneity that his thoughtful, all in approach to pottery starts with the throwing, moves on to the trimming, glazing/ decorating and is completed with his firing and it could be nothing less.

THE WHEEL KEEPS SPINNING

Admittedly, the beginning of the year can be rather slow in terms of orders, re-orders, commission etc. especially as yet another gallery has closed its doors. Several weeks back I received a phone call asking me when I was going to pick up my remaining work, six pieces, all terra cotta. I asked what was the matter and then silence and I was given over to the gallery manager at Eureka Crafts in Syracuse, this was their last week in business as a bustling retail area had been converting over to restaurants and other edible specialties. I made arrangements and went and picked up my pots and it was a somber moment for a gallery in business since 1982 and had been carrying my work since 1992 (?). Though at various times they had carried my stoneware, they had principally carried my terra cotta works; slipwork, abstrakt resist and "It's Still Life" among others, a great outlet for my work and that of a number of other crafts people and jewelers. Not having had any advance warning, I was surprised and now just a bit melancholy over the end of an era, Eureka was a wonderful gallery run by wonderful people, crafts people. The work weeks starts, the wheel keeps on spinning and terra cotta pots need making.

Illustrated is a medium size, high walled serving bowl made out of terra cotta with black slip, incised decoration and white "tama" additions.

NESTING

Nesting on a kitchen shelf this illustrated set is a contemporary spin on the Sueki style by Tsujimura Yui, son of Tsujimura Shiro and a wiz at a rather unique Shigaraki styled firing. This photo was taken back in 2012 at the home of Alice and Halsey North when my wife and I visited along with a small group from JASA and has been sitting on the hard drive along with dozens of other images from that time. I was impressed at the unique balance of the ancient and modern in Yui's work which is clearly represented in this set composed of classic lines, great clay texture and just the right amount of ash effects. Like his father's pottery, there is nothing ostentatious or off putting about Tsujimura Yui's pieces, they are warm and inviting and as you can clearly see they just ask to be handled and used as frequently as possible.