STRIKE A POSE

I have to admit, I have handled more chaire by Honiwa Rakunyu II than probably any other modern potter. Rakunyu II must have been rather prolific in regards to chaire and unlike every other potter I have visited in Shigaraki (and Iga) at most they may have had one or two chaire on display, but at the Honiwa home there were eight or nine and even at the time I found this just a bit curious. Along side many of the chaire were two distinct types of shifuku bags, those of fancy, historic textile patterns and the simple honest and almost mingei style homespun made by his daughter, those bags have always been our favorites.     

Illustrated is an ever so slightly different piece by Honiwa Rakunyu, a tall, slender and graceful Shigaraki hoso-chaire with a Kyoto style textile shifuku and a well crafted and excellently fitted lid. This slender form was likely fired inbetween two pots, slightly behind them as the face is covered in a fine, wet coating of ash that feathers off to the rear that is a darker brown hi-iro that is surrounded by a thin transitional border of an almost goma-like effect. At over 11.5cm tall this is a simple, resolute form intended for one dedicated purpose but the more I look at it the more I see that it serves as much for the eye as it does the hand and in this light strikes a distinct and timeless pose.

SOLVING PROBLEMS

When working with stoneware and porcelain, I don't think it is that I get bored easily but rather that I like to make new forms and when necessary solve new problems. This Kuro-Oribe thrown and altered cap jar was for me a new form and solved the small problem of keeping several areas of the pot round while squaring up other parts, namely the top and bottom of the form. I have actually used this technique quite a bit over the years but normally on a closed form but in this case I needed to work to alter the form and keep the waist and mouth round which actually proved to be rather easy as I got to work. 

Once the form was fixed, I beat the base so that the center of each plane formed the foot and the corners were a bit raised which makes for a nice shadow. Small paddled lugs were added at the shoulder and the lid has a step down which adds dimension to the surface along with the glaze run that also adds quite a bit of motion. The shoulder and upper plane had iron sprayed on them but the bottom of the form is just pure, straight Oribe and looks quite radiant and enticing in the sunlight. My goal this year is to make some larger versions of this idea along with varying the proprotion to see what I end up with and even after making some small bottles and a few covered jar I think I am safe in saying, I don't think I will get bored with solving problems or this idea and form anytime soon.

ODD ENCOUNTER

I vividly remember my first encounter with the work of Kotoge Katsuyoshi (Tanzan), we were in Kyoto in the early 90s and walked in to a gallery that had a myriad of his highly decorative pieces of Kyo-yaki on display, perhaps 30 pieces or so though mostly chawan, mizusashi, cha-tsubo and a few hanaire. There were precise, meticulous and everything one would want from Kyo-yaki but truth be told, just not our taste. When we left the gallery we went and had a beverage and pastry at a shop located next to another gallery that really caught my eye. In the window was a rather formal but very well fired Shigaraki vase right next to an Iga mizusashi literally covered in ash from head to toe and front to back, an utsushimono of a 17th century piece. When we went in there were seven or eight more piece all by the same potter, Kotoge Katsuyoshi! What I went on to learn is that Kotoge had studied with two rather high profile potters, Shimaoka Tatsuzo and Miyagawa Makuzu Kosai V given him a tremendous exposure to two very different styles of work and techniques geared to fanciful Kyo-yaki and rugged wood fired pottery. Besides having a deep immersion into the woodfired pottery in Mashiko under Shimaoka, Miyagawa Kosai V was actually known for having made some Shigaraki style fired pottery from which Kotoge would have had been exposed to during his apprenticeship.      

I should also mention that if Kyo-yaki, Shigaraki and Iga pottery was not enough for his repertoire, Kotoge Katsuyoshi is also rather well known for his simple and unpretentious Karatsu ware that focuses on chadogu, pieces used for chanoyu which he has practiced for over four decades. In an interview done while exhibiting in Spain in 2013-2014 Kotoge went on to explain that and I am only paraphrasing; most potters who create (or make) chawan rarely know the difference in spirit between a food bowl and a true chawan.  This is a subject that comes up quite frequently I must admit, where scholars, authors, tea experts and the like hold this continued opinion.     

Illustrated is a pot, a seemingly odd encounter that got me to this post in the first place, a classic Iga style mizusashi made by Kotoge Tanzan (Katsuyoshi) in 1990, the year of our first trip to Japan. As you can see in the picture, the entire surface of the pot is covered in a nice, glassy coating of ash though the other side also has a good amount of charring and charcoal like effect  as well, but what is really intriguing is that though very much based on an early Iga pot, this form has a sense of refinement that shows off his classical Kyoto, Kyo-yaki roots. The dichotomy of blending both Iga and Kyoto aesthetics makes for a rather idiosyncratic form which is easy to expect from Kotoge and his background in wood firing and Kyo-yaki. I think that even all these years later it is still a bit of a shock every time I see these rustic, wood fired pots from the hand of Kotoge Tanzan but having seen so many of his pots since my first encounter it makes all the sense in the world how his work would be so very different yet exactly the same.

CONTINUITY

On the left is a picture I have used on my blog previously of a well articulated and decorated henko form by Kimura Ichiro and a short while back the henko on the right was put up on Instagram, this one being by Kimura Mitsuru. To recap, Mitsuru was the son-in-law of Kimura Ichiro and as such he learned about his working first hand in his studio, making, glazing and firing. At first glance or in passing these two forms like alike but if you study the proportions, depth and angles they are ever so slightly different from one to the other. I suspect Mitsuru made this homage henko as a means of creating continuity from studio to studio as well as keeping alive a tradition which Ichiro inherited by way of Hamada Shoji and that Mitsuru inherited from his father-in-law.     

The use of common forms within families is almost as old as ceramics itself and is one of the underlying factors of what builds a school, style or tradition. In this particular case, Kimura Mitsuru used the basic three dimensional canvas of the henko along with glazes perfected by Ichiro and decoration that would be recognizable as that of the Ichiro family. The use of the creamy nuka with its abundance of texture brings depth to a form already well versed in dimension that clearly narrates a story about Mashiko, Hamada, Kimura Ichiro and its inheritor, Kimura Mitsuru.  (Photo used with the kind permission of 20thCenturyARTophiles)

LASTING IMPRESSION

Ilustrated is a graceful, four sided henko hanaire by Mukunoki Eizo. I guess I should say that this is graceful for mingei pottery but it does have that stoic sense and posture about it with soft and crisp lines defing the pot that is decked out in a slightly mottled shinsha red glaze with spots of almost apple green jade coloring scattered about the base and elsewhere. I think it is rather clear to see what a lasting impression that studying with Kawai Kanjiro had on Mukunoki Eizo where he made note of the lines, proportions and posture of the masters work and tried to infuse them in his own unique forms. Despite the genesis for Mukunoki's forms and surfaces coming from the Kawai-mon, he was able to chart a course that distinguishes itself from Kanjiro whose forms seems to be more dominated by sturdy and compact geometry while this pot reaches for the vertical and has a lighter profile and volume. Another aspect of this vase that I enjoy is the sense of purpose it displays, this vase was made to use, its primary concern is function with the aesthetics of form and surface perhaps seperated by just nano-seconds in consideration. The ideal was sculpted over time by the potter before a multi-part mold was made to cement the form into reality, so no small amount of planning and consideration went into the original design, mold and the final object and I think that is on display in this classic shinsha form.

LONE SURVIVOR

Remembering that Mondays are normally referenced as Mugshot Mondays, I pulled down this old mug and decided to take a quick picture of it. I know I have mentioned that I don't tend to make a lot of mugs but there is a back story to this particular mug. Back when I was teaching at Wesleyan potters, one of my classes was teens and toward the end of the session I made a dozen mugs, glazed each one differently and then let the students each pick one to take home, I had 11 students and this was the lone survivor that no one seemed interested in and so here it is, dusted off and photographed nearly 20 years later!

RUSTY ROLL

I have to admit, in my initial encounter with this chawan all I could think was what a simple, even quiet but perfect chawan. Looking at the distilled form, the thoughtful, concidered lip and perfect lift from a crisp, simple foot, what more could you ask for from a bowl? Well as luck would have it, besides the well conceived bones of the chawan, the surface is just alive with glimmering iron crystals that make up strand or tendril of movement that add to the vertical quality of the piece and creates quite the active and enticing appearance.       

This chawan was made by Kimura Morinobu who along with his two sibling has dedicated a lifetime to the pursuit of exploring iron in glazes like temmoku and yuteki-temmoku, all influenced by their Chinese archetypes. Along with Morinobu's continued experimentation with "iron in the fire", he has burnt to a cinder numerous types of vegitation to create a wide and exotic at times, array of ash glazes. This particular temmoku glaze has a beautiful flare with the intermingling of dark temmoku and a rusty trail all culminating in a vivid, undulating glaze roll that is a beauty to look at and to feel. The glaze roll culminates near the foot, exposing the clay and just feels good, cupped in the hands. Even though this isn't one of Morinobu's ash glazed wonders, it would be rather hard to consider this anything other than another homerun (at least to my personal taste).

SILO

Not much to say about this Oribe style covered jar with B.C. (johnny Hart) or Prometheus inspired finial with combed white over black slip. The form is loosely based on old storage building from Africa, looking a bit like a grain bin or silo and have three feet cut from the base. Considering that I really enjoy making lidded pots from cannisters, covered jars, cap jars all the way to covered boxes, this ongoing series of box forms, many resting on three or four feet are not likely to disappear anytime soon but I am thinking that soda blue and amber glazes may add a touch of diversity to the pieces. Perhaps next time (?).

MOUSEY

Though perhaps best known for his original and innovative Oni-Shino, besides being an all round renaissance artist, Tsukigata Nahiko was well versed in the full spectrum of the Mino tradition. Having a foundation in a wide array of glaze making, Tsukigata made a large number of pots that have quite a bit in common with their classical antecedants and this particular vase is no exception. Though neither rare or common, this vase dates to the late 1980s to the late 1990s and is typical of work which he described as Nezumi-Shino, once again taking his unique approach to the style where a highly active iron/ cobalt underglaze was used with a thick, viscous Shino glaze leading to this vivid look. There is an array of "special effects" where some of the colorants have boiled up through the surface; browns, blacks, blues, greens and turqouise perculate to the top layers of the glaze creating a rather unique landscape that like much of Tsukigata's works can easily be attributed to his hand (and mind) where what seems ordinary becomes anything but.      

Intentional or not, I immediately think of thick melting ice and snow slowing revealing the stone underneath though I suspect this type of landscape conjures up all kinds of memories and associations to each individual viewer. Perhaps one of the outstanding aspects to Tsukigata work is that no matter how many of a particular form you see, each and every pot has its own unique voice and especially landscapes. As I have seen a number of this form in varying sizes in this Nezumi-Shino surface, Ki-Seto, Oni-Shino, Muji-Shino and others, each piece is connected initially by form but each piece presented a nearly alien appearance to the other making it clear that though manipulated by the maker through glaze and firing, it was the fire that had the final say on what each pot would look like, maybe more than any other factor. In the end experience, technique and knowledge are one thing in the creation of a pot but without surrendering the pot and at least a bit of one's ego to the kiln and flames, these pots would be all the less so let's be thankful for those crucial decisions.

ILLUSION OF MAGIC

Pure magic is the best way I can describe the glazes and surfaces of Kimura Moriyasu and I suspect that anyone who has seen his work in person or in a book or catalogue would agree. The illustrated detail is from a chawan made in the late (?) 1990s where the overwelming color is blue enhanced by shades and nuances of many other tones all running into the interior to create a nebula of effects all surrounding the center composed of golden hues, adrift in some far off galaxy. I am simply amazed at how a handful of chemicals, some intense heat, a bit of alchemy thrown into the mix together with decades of experience can conjure up this illusion of magic locked within a three dimensional object. I think that the such work can better be described by poet or sage so I will let the photo tell its story all on its own as if a picture is worth a thousand words, I can imagine quite a bit more being written on the ceramics of Kimura Moriyasu.

ROAD TRIP

I am not sure how often this happens to other potters but I ran out of clay recently, I still have a good cache of terra cotta and porcelain but not stoneware. Part of this problem stems from the fact that a clay supplier I used to get deliveries from was goobled up by a really big company so now I have to make a supply run an hour west or two hours east to get heavy supplies like clay and chemicals for glazes and slip. Compounding this new issue is that our vehicle can only really carry about 500lbs at a time so I am limited with each trip. I know, things could be a lot worse, I could have to dig my clay and mine my own materials but truthfully i wasn't paying enough attention and "poof" the stoneware was gone.  

Illustrated are two, well three pasta/ salad/ what-have-you omnibowls that along with a spare teabowl were thrown off the hump and represent the last bag of clay. I threw these bowls to proof, test the amber and soda blue on shallow pieces as well as making sure that the glazes will work considering I am using newly sourced materials. Shouldn't be a big problem but better to be safe than sorry as the old days of saying; "well f#ck it" and filling a kiln with an iffy glaze are well behind me or at least I hope so.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Illustrated is a rather wonderfully fired Shigaraki uzukumaru style pot or is it? Made in Nagaoka City in Niigata the works of Kon Chiharu are sometimes called Echigo Shigaraki as they are made in what used to be Echigo Province prior to the Meiji Era but does it boil down to location, location location? Despite where it was made, this haikaburi tsubo was guided along its pathway from Shigaraki traditional pottery under the guidence of Tsuji Seimei who himself did not reside in Shigaraki proper. Under Tsuji's tutelage, Kon Chiharu master the insight into medieval style pottery, use of clay and firing where today his works are highpoints of the tradition irrespective of geography. This tsubo clearly has a sturdy and powerful form with a well defined neck and mouth that has a playful and wandering quality that makes for a rather distinctive and alluring vessel. Fired on its belly, the scars and ash flow surround the pot in a gravity defying embrace where the horizontal movement adds a trememdous  amount of animation to a form that seems rooted to the ground through its purposeful form and base. In this case the pot just happened to be at the right place at the right time and the sun did the rest of the heavy lifting.

WASHIZOME

Illustrated is a small washizome futamono by Saga prefecture potter, Eguchi Katsumi. This small covered box was skillfully thrown out of a dense, white porcelain with deocration using dyed paper to create the overall design before adding accents in sometsuke blue style. The entire covered box for is covered in a simple, brilliantly transparent clear glaze with the piece being deocrated entirely around the form with a single larger blossom depicted in the inside of the bottom and lid. As one might expect the fit and finish of this little box is equal to his large pieces, skillfully thrown, tooled and meticulously decorated with an exacting fit between the two pieces, top and bottom. This covered form is bigger than a kogo and measuring in at about 12cm across, not 100% sure of its intended purpose but even at this size, the possibilities are almost endless.       

As mentioned Eguchi Katsumi is well known for his skilled use of this washizome technique using traditional handmade Japanese paper in the pursuit of his decoration. Unlike many other Saga/ Arita potters, Eguchi is hands on for all of the processes in the creation of his work from throwing, tooling, decorating and firing making him a bit different than many in his community. Though this small covered box is simple with a simple design, this piece clearly portrays the style and technique developed by Eguchi Katsumi to its fullest and shows a dedication to not only his unique decorative approach but to his indigenous materials, firing and heritage blending tradition and traditional materials with a modern sensibility.