ADAPTIVE

It is pretty clear as you look at this glaze surface that the inspiration comes from the original and unique Oni-Iga surfaces first pioneered by Tsukigata Nahiko back in the late 1970s and early 1980's. What is also clear are all of the differences from Tsukigata himself, the form is not quite as rugged or immediately persuasive, the surface is perhaps not quite as rich and some of the other details from how the lip and kodai are finished are unique to this potter and this chawan. Catering to her own vision of this style, Ayukai Kogestsu made this Oni-Iga chawan in a slightly less masculine style though it does have an earthy expression and an eminently usable appearance. 

I think as I study (well studied) this chawan there is a softer countenance to the bowl, it is less masculine and less aggressive and has a smoother atmosphere which easily settles down in the hands for a rather comforting experience. Like her master, the use of this glaze style has produced a wide array of variations about the surface from rich iron blooms to the plains of dark area being broken up by running ash to tendrils of white feldspar breaking through the surface making for a visual menagerie of all the possibilities of Oni-Iga. Though very much in the style of Tsukigata Nahiko, Ayukai Kogetsu has adapted this surface and techniques to her way of working in clay and as such she has bent the idiom to her vision and sense of a rich and apparently adaptive style.

IN THE GROOVE

I ended up making a few of these taller citadel covered jars for a couple of different galleries a while back and have now realized I don't have any photographs of the finished piece though part of me considered this small group one-offs. Though this is just classic forgetfulness in point of fact, only a small percentage of things I make do get photographed to act as future reference or to be able to show customers and galleries. These raised foot covered jar were made of terra cotta and decorated with carved XOXO pattern, tebori style before being finished with a thin clear glaze. Not that it was essential to have finished photos of these pieces but in retrospect it would have been a bit useful more so that telling someone, please imagine this photo with a shiny surface of transparent glaze. I am sure a lot of potters (crafts people) can understand as you get going and getting in the groove, especially making 'stock" pieces, the biggest thought is getting the work made, decorated, bisque, glazed, packed and delivered. This mindset makes it easy to forget even some new ideas and forms, like this covered jar but at the end of the day there are usually quick sketches or pictures like this one taken on my phone that outline the details well enough to make another if the need should arise.

TEMPORARY TRANSPORT

Illustrated is a simple yet easy to identify Shigaraki tebachi by Kohyama Yasuhisa made in Showa 48 (1973) acting as a temporary transport for a lacquered Daruma set which is in a fact a sake drinking game. As for the tebachi, this piece is very simple in execution being made out of a coarse, sandy and rocky clay which has a dry ash deposited over the surface with areas of very nice hi-iro and lots of tsuchi-aji flavor about the piece. One rather eye appealing feature is the botamochi style resisted circle on the flat of the interior that shows off the rich clay surrounded by fly ash that coupled with the classic Kohyama interrupted facets around the form help define this humble piece. I guess I also forgot to mention that the reason I am sure of the date is that this Shigaraki tebachi is well illustrated in an early exhibition catalogue from that year and though the Daruma may not exactly seem like willing participants in this photo shoot, I can tell you it was my pleasure to have this piece around for a short while.

TWO AUSPICIOUS BIRDS

Though a bit outdated and classically 1970s, this double framed ceramic tile was made by legendary Kyoto potter Shinkai Kanzan. I was immediately fascinated by this tile despite being a product of its time for a variety of reasons, from the exceptional use of texture, dimension, scale, subject matter and surface, all the details come together to present the whimsical portrayal of a mated pair of birds in a style only Shinkai could have pulled off. Though one might expect this to be some press molded tile, in fact the decoration was created separately, a slab of white stoneware was used as the base and using textured stamps, pieces-parts where created and assembled, appliqué style to the base. In all, at least eight separate pieces where applied to the base tile in such a way that a firm and complete marriage of components was employed to keep the tile from "falling apart" in the bisque or glaze firing. 

As you can clearly see the perfect choice of glaze was employed where it is rather opaque in the background and semi-transparent on all the detail painting a perfect portrait of the subject matter in textured detail. This tile as I mentioned is double framed and on the reverse of the frame is a hand applied label that reads, " SHINKAI KANZAN MADE THIS, CERAMIC PLAQUE, TWO AUSPICIOUS BIRDS". If the decoration, surface and detail didn't get my (our) attention than the great title certainly did and it is quite perfect for the house where The Birds reside.

SQUARED UP & ASSEMBLED

While I was in the groove of throwing some small pieces and squaring them up I got this bug to make a few slightly larger pieces and this composite vase was one of the pieces. Don't ask exactly how I got here but here are the facts, the base and neck were both thrown round and squared up and assembled together where I added a slab mouth and lugs to the form. My intention from the beginning was to make this form rather quickly so nothing was measured and the actual construction is not perfectly symmetrical by design which I think gives the piece the wonky and not fussed over feel that I was aiming for. Though I was interested in making a piece larger than a tokkuri, I kept my ambition in check and ended up with a vase 14" tall and once fired should end up just over a foot in height. I only made a couple squared forms this time around deciding to wait and see how they glazed before making more.

BUNCHEONG TSUBO

I guess I should start out by saying that though I have a fair working knowledge regarding Korean pottery my familiarity with modern Korean (South Korean) potters is spotty at best and that extends to the maker of this tsubo Yoo Byung Ho (b.1947). This large and impressive tsubo is a type of mishima slipware popularized during the Joseon Dynasty known as Buncheong ware where in this case, the pot was thrown out of a slightly coarse clay, heavily and almost rustically faceted and then covered in its entirety in what appears to be a simple yet complex stamped decoration before being covered over in a white slip. Once the white slip set up it was scraped off leaving slip in the recessed areas before being glazed in a semi-matt transparent glaze and fired. The result is a tsubo seemingly in perpetual motion with a nearly dizzying movement of pattern and other slip and glaze iterations making for quite an impressive pot in person.

An important dish was presented to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II that was made by Yoo ByungHo in 1999 which I think attests to the quality of his workmanship and artistry. Coupled with this accolade, this tsubo comes complete with a catalogue from an exhibition held in Japan which prominently illustrates this fine and noble Buncheong tsubo. As I mentioned my working knowledge of the modern South Korean pottery scene isn't 100% but it all boils down to a good pot being just that, a good pot.   좋은 냄비는 좋은 냄비입니다 

SPARE PARTS

I had this idea a while back and for the record it wasn't a particularly good one either but it did leave me with one small, rounded closed form in stoneware so I decided to see what I could make with it. First I paddled the piece into a cube and then refined the edges leaving the top of the form ever so slightly domed. The next step was to push in and define the foot so that the piece rested on the center of each side and then made a small spout for the burgeoning pouring vessel. The last step was making a squared and carved stopper and fitting it to a matching square opening in the top of the pot. Once bisque I decided to go with the Kuro-Oribe style surface which has made it next to impossible to photograph but the idea and sense of form are easy enough to see even if the glaze and effects are not. In the end you'll have to take my word on the fact that this piece certainly came out better than the original multi-cube assemblage that was fairly quickly recycled for other projects that made a bit more sense.    

SNOW COVERED DARUMA

Illustrated is a small Hagi kakeire hanging vase by the late Udagawa Hosei that I mentioned in another blog post (5/27/2020) regarding an exhibition that we had seen in Kyoto. Though there was quite a few remarkable masterworks at the show by Hara Kiyoshi, Araki Mikijiro, Shimizu U'ichi and others, after several other purchases and the out of reach prices of those pots, we ended up selecting this great little Hagi hanging vase for the simple fact that despite its size and affordable price, it had called to us as we moved between the two floors of the exhibit a number of time.       

Thrown out of a sandy, coarse clay, the form and movement of the piece was just so appealing and to a certain degree amusing looking a bit like a drunken Daruma settled in for a quick and spontaneous nap now covered in a coating of overnight snow. The surface of this casually deformed vase has what appears to be a melting, snow white surface with hints of black breaking through the surface from underneath the glaze with areas of pinks, lavenders and grey all punctuated by fine spots of crystalized titanium (or some other whitening agent) adding to the complex atmosphere of the piece. While admittedly it would not have hurt my (our) feelings to come home from a Japan trip with the large Araki or Hara Kiyoshi pieces but the Udagawa fit neatly in our carry-on and we would have regretted leaving it on the wall between the first and second floors of the exhibit hall where it first caught our attention and at the moment a small amount of snow might be quite welcomed.  

DECADES (IN THE MAKING)

While I freely admit there are those times when simplicity is overshadowed by a really complex form or surface, the majority of what appeals to me is a simple pot, a simple bowl with a simple form, simple lines and simple surface. As I look at this kairagi-yu chawan by Kimura Morinobu that is exactly what I see in this bowl, classic purposeful form and intriguing and textural surface with a bold decoration that at first glance appears to clash or contradict the simplicity but after studying the piece it actually is in harmony creating a unified aesthetic. I am drawn to the form and spontaneous cutting of the foot born of practicality and more to the point, the way in which Kimura has used the clay and glaze in such a straight forward and honest manner. The bold, form-conscious iron decoration comes into play and brings life and movement to the pot.   

This chawan has a story, the story of decades of bowls and other pots made in series both large and small. This story creates a distinct vocabulary that has a commonality while at the same time creating unique works in clay, each with their own nuances and individual tendencies that set each and ever one apart. This chawan is precisely why I like simple and admire the manner in which Kimura Morinobu makes pots, everything he makes is the same but very different at the same time.

SIMPLE SANDY SURFACE

Illustrated is a rather simple sandy surface on a  teabowl made using my white stoneware with subtle facets created around the bowl. As you can see, once the foot is tooled the last part of the process involves the rasp and creating simple, not overly obvious facets around the form while the important step is to open up the texture of the clay and let much of the sand show creating a visual and textural surface. Though a simple bowl, simple technique and simple approach in the end usually they are not as simple as each constituent part would leave you to believe.   

As you can imagine the next step beside the bisque is using a transparent or translucent glaze surface over the piece and I doubt it would come as any shock if I said I was thinking about using either Oribe or Kuro-oribe for the job. Though many of my choices may be predictable with the right application of the secondary and tertiary and all that sandy texture, the outcome is usually a bit up in the air allowing for a group of teabowls to emerge, each one with its own distinct voice and appearance. Simple, right, though simple does go a long way.                                                                                 

VISUAL AIDS

Way back when, before the age of the internet I remember having a phone conversation with a fellow pottery collector trying to describe the works of Yasuda Zenko with only words, no visual aids what so ever, needless to say the conversation was a train wreck. As I look at this photo of a good size ryu-un henko by Yasuda Zenko, it is quite clear that words fail me as to trying to describe this piece, this work excepting that the landscapes of this surface are seemingly otherworldly. I put this henko up previously as it emerged into the sunlight and out of the shadows but thought a more formal portrait  would give a better idea of form and surface. Though mostly rhetorical in nature, the big question is exactly how do you describe this piece and get it right?

ONI-OKE

I can't honestly say I have an in-depth knowledge of where the oni-oke mizusashi, oni's bucket style mizusashi came from other than it was adopted from a utilitarian form made in Shigaraki prior to the popular advent of the tea ceremony. This form was conscripted for use by tea masters with the simple addition of a wood and/or lacquer lid and they were off and running. Over the subsequent centuries oni-oke remained somewhat popular and the local Shigaraki potters continued to make the form specifically for chanoyu with the addition of a ceramic lid on the odd occasion but mostly relying on a lacquer lid made by a specialist, a modern interpretation by Kishimoto Kennin. The more typical oni-oke is a bit lower and wider than is this pot which appears more like a hoso-mizusashi but the form is stylized and simple with just a touch of flair and a strong rolled lip and was intended as a devil's bucket. I think this conveys Kishimoto's classic use of clay, his rich hi-iro and firing and a finished pot that owes a touch of its presence to a time when pots had less to do with the tea ceremony and everything to do with purpose and daily humility.

MOONLIGHT

I took this photo a couple months ago using the moonlight to best show off the texture of this Hagi style teabowl that I had made. I have to admit that I really wish that the bowl looked this good in normal light but using the moon and shadows certainly have this bowl punching way above its weight. As for the bowl, this was thrown out of a sandy stoneware clay with inclusions (not grog) of various sizes, the black slip design was put on using paper resist and once bisque it was glazed in a thin coating of my Hagi style glaze and this is the result, more or less depending on how and where it is lit. I'll post up a picture of the bowl in the near future to show just how night and day these images really are.

HAGGLING IN NH

This is a pot that I bought a long while back at a flea market in NH, it isn't necessarily a great pot but there were and still are things about it that I liked so I have kept it all these years. The story behind it though is kind of fun and hard to forget which makes the pot just a bit more enjoyable. I saw this on a table of absolute chaotic clutter at a flea market in southern New Hampshire and asked the Charlie Daniel's stand-in what was the price and he quoted me $5 and I said I would take it. I got this disappointed look and he asked me if I was going to haggle on the price and I said that wasn't my intention and he said, go ahead so I offered him $4 which he accepted. Thinking that was out of the way he quoted one of those famous lines, "but wait there's more" and pulled out the signed wood box. I asked if that went with it and he said, "no way" and said he wanted $100 for it, so I offered him $1 which he accepted. Turned out all he wanted from the beginning was $5 for the vase and box but was apparently just looking to have a bit of fun while killing some time on a Sunday baking in the sun at the local flea market.       

 As for this Bizen vase it is a simple bud vase with a variety of colors and some goma here and there, some sparkly ash crystals on the neck and mouth and well made enso like marks combed on either side with two very delicate lugs to complete the form. This is an early piece by Masamune Satoru and is a pleasant enough piece that could have made out just a bit better somewhere else in the kiln than where it was placed though I suspect vases like this are studio staples as opposed to his more individualistic and creative endeavors and are relegated to the rear of the kiln but given the cost and memorable story behind it will have a home here for the foreseeable future.