CRAZY

                             

                                  

There isn’t much I can say about this yohen temmoku style chawan other than what crazy pattern. The pattern is vivid, multi-colored with a sheen of gold across the surface which has its own topography which appeals to the touch and the eye. This chawan was made by Yamamoto Noriyuki, a potter I know almost nothing about, the pictures are a better narrator then I could be.

 You can see more of this chawan over on my Trocadero marketplace;

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1507990/WILD-YOHEN-CHAWAN-BY-YAMAMOTO-NORIYUKI

WATATSUMI

Illustrated is a rather generous and thoughtful gift that was sent to me some while back, sort of a thank you for helping out a new collector get their bearings, along with some basic translation help and hints as to what to avoid. This specific piece was sent to me because of my interest in texture as well as Ki-Seto glazing, made by Goto Hideki clearly his watatsumi guinomi has both in spades. This guinomi is a little on the large side and the visual and physical textures are both wonderfully complimentary to the evocative, twisted form. Considering our recent excursion into collecting guinomi, this was a very nice addition and let’s be perfectly honest, based on my usual choices in pottery, this little gem certainly stands out like a Godzilla in the Tokyo bay.

MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON

Way back when, at a time when clay, chemicals and energy were much cheaper, I would take and write a number of pottery styles on little slips of paper and then pick two out blindly. In one case I ended up picked “Greek kylix” and “renaissance majolica”, what I decided on was the body of an apothecary jar and the pedestal of the kylix and plus or minus, this is what I had come up with. Considering this was likely two decades ago, there are no photos of my previous crimes against pottery so last fall I started making a few of the pieces perched atop pedestals to see what I could end up with. 

This Oribe covered jar is one of the pieces I ended up making, made of stoneware out of two pieces, well three if you include the lid, the surface has an impasto decoration, moving around the surface at a diagonal in two bands around the form. Once bisque, I used my Kuro-Oribe glaze and well, the rest is pretty self-evident. Two traditions blended together to create this horizontal, raised covered pot, a little bit of Greece, a bit of Italia with a pinch of Japanese pottery and a momentary lapse of reason coalesced with the aid of some clay and heat.

TIL DEATH DO US PART

Illustrated is a quick picture of a most welcome marriage of a tokkuri and guinomi by Nishiura Takeshi. The guinomi is the new addition and was something I was actively looking for to pair up with the existing Echizen tokkuri, a not too novel concept adopted from a fellow collector in Europe. It would seem every tokkuri needs a guinomi or two and vice versa, in some respects this completes the other even though the chances they will be used are slim to none. The clay and surfaces of these two match quite well with hints of Nishiura’s somewhat unique hekishu-yu, blue sand technique and though I am on day one of glazing for two firings, I took a few minutes to catch this pair in the height of the afternoon’s sun. Though I really love this surface highlighted by the sun, this surface has tons to say whatever the light source may be, I am alive, I am Echizen and til death do us part are perhaps their strongest messages.

SAKE-WAN II

I am not sure at times the differences between coincidence, serendipity and kismet but recently after acquiring a raku guinomi, another one, slightly different popped up by the same potter. Made by Konishi Heinai II, the guinomi on the left is the newer acquisition, simply marked “red guinomi”, this like its partner in crime on the right both resemble miniature chawan which I often refer to as mini-wan. Despite being different surface, both have very similar sizes, forms and even weight which is a testament to a skill honed through repetition and decades of production. Perhaps the only real difference between these two pieces is the kodai and surfaces are a bit different and to my eye, they compliment each other rather well. I know I said this previously, I am not normally drawn to Raku/ raku potter with the exception of Raku Kichizaemon XV and Konishi Heinai II, one is in my price range and one is not, can you guess which is which?   

BTW, I should note I would love to use these for bourbon and not sake, but truthfully, I just don’t have the nerve!

CONTAGIOUS ?

Not sure if it is contagious but I have noticed a few potters have recently had accidents of one type or another and now can proudly add myself to that list. I have been a hobbled after a small accident and things have been slow going of late though I am now in the midst of a concept of a plan for my imminent glaze firing. I had to make up a number of glazes and have glazed up a few test pieces to proof all the glazes and surfaces as well as having made up several dozen glaze tests. Most of these are unheard-of combos from existing glazes that I use currently or have on hand from past use and feel the need to do this every now and again. 

Once the test bowls are fired, the glaze test will all go in bigger firings to get a more reflective outcome, I will start glazing up somewhere around fifty pieces, almost a dozen with lids. There are several orders here and the two kiln loads will be divided up among soda blue, amber, saffron iron yellow, temmoku and two types of Oribe. Until the glaze proofing is complete, I am trying to take it easy as the last thing I need is to end up making things worse which in all honesty, I am very good at, at least I know my strong suit.     

By way of a quick post, here are the two ring jars that held up my last firing. Though they looked similar just glazed, the one is saffron with black iron over and the other is Kuro-Oribe which has pooled nicely in the depressed channels. Both are small covered pieces that will take up little space and can be used for just about anything short of holding a full party bag of peanut-butter M&Ms coming in at 13.5oz, I know this for a fact as I tried.

DETAILS

I was recently contacted and asked "what's with all the detail pix?" and thought to relate this simple experience. Years ago, I was contacted by a dealer with a group of photos of a pleasant looking chawan that I really didn't show much interest in but was highly encourage to take a look at the piece in person. The pot arrived and true to their word, the bowl was quite exceptional in person and was betrayed by the limits of the photographs. Flash forward to the digital age and the internet and these details flush out pieces that may seem nice in an overall shot but with a detail picture the whole thing becomes a lot clearer in terms of what is actually happening with the pot and its surface. As if that wasn't enough, by sharing detail pictures a clearer understanding of pots that many individuals may not ever get a chance to handle is the next best thing to seeing the piece in person or behind glass at an exhibition or museum show.   

Illustrated is a perfect detail shot, this is the interior of a Ki-Seto guinomi by Goto Hideki. The texture and glaze are just perfect for these semi-amorphous forms based on seashells, watatsumi, creating depth and movement to counter-balance the nature of the forms. Normally, the interiors are hidden but it is exactly this detail that clearly illustrates the brilliance of the partnership between the whole and the sum of its parts at which Goto excels.

KUSHIME SHINO

Wonderful combed Shino henko, bottle form with thick glaze over a rich, deep red iron yohen surface with hints of pale green covering the pure white areas. The henko has intentionally carved facets or channels that help animate the form though the thick, finger swiped Shino brings movement and animation to the form. Matsuzaki Ken including this in an exhibition in Heisei 14 where it is prominently illustrated.  You can see more of this Matsuzaki ken henko over on my Trocadero marketplace; 

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1507539/ILLUSTRATED-COMBED-SHINO-HENKO-BY-MATSUZAKI-KEN

THIS IS WHERE IT BEGINS

Illustrated is a simple porcelain cup with impressed decoration, this is one of many thrown cups used for testing as I upscale from test rings or pods, in essence, this is where it begins. This particular test is quite rudimentary; I am using cobalt and manganese in conjunction with the soda blue glaze to see what effects I end up with and how best to use these oxides as decoration. As with most testing, I am really just trying to establish a baseline for color, saturation and style, I’ll get back to you when or if I figure it out.

KAKI-TEMMOKU

On some level it is easy to see the influence, style and surfaces of Shimizu Uichi in this small chawan style guinomi. As you focus in closer on the form, it becomes clearer that it is in fact by Shimizu Yasutaka, son of Uichi and the perfect student to carry on his father’s legacy and profound knowledge and use of iron glazes. Thrown out of a well textured, buff style stoneware, the exposed clay has a crinkled, chirimen-hada style texture that is then covered over in a deep rich, dark iron glaze that has had areas of a drifty, iron red kaki like glaze applied over which has been stretch and drawn thin exposing cells of dark black piercing the secondary veil. Though well known for his use of turtles as a motif in two and three dimensions, I believe Shimizu Yasutaka is at his very best when he makes use of layered iron glazes like this kaki-temmoku (persimmon temmoku); they are simple, direct and to the point and always beckon to be used.

ALL-NATURAL

Illustrated is an old (?) mentori-kakeire by Kohyama Yasuhisa likely dating from the 1970s or 80s. Though early work, to some degree it doesn’t look all that different from some of his later work from form, technique and surface. Like some older pieces that have been around the block a time or two, this vase has a few tiny flea-bites around the extreme of the mouth which have been repaired with a pewter finish lacquer that clean up the edge but doesn’t quite distract as much from the continuity of the surface. I really love the incised channel that separates the body from the mouth/ neck area and perhaps one of my favorite features is the bright, all-natural fired clay color that seems to glow or just beam. It is always the simplest things or details that get to me and the rich color just beckons to me, “forget the exterior, come explore the riches hidden within”.

POTTER AND FLAME

Illustrated is a rather traditional Echizen hanaire by Nishiura Takeshi, far more conservative than his hekisha-yu blue sand pieces and showing a far more feudal appearance and austere presence. The form of this vase seems like it could be from Shigaraki, Iga or Bizen but I think it is the surface that really gives it that Echizen flavor where the rich iron clay has flashed over to a deep, almost crimson hue that has melted a bit and has become quite wet in appearance. The firing has deposited a nice layer of ash to the upper portion of the vase which during the firing has turned to liquid and run down the pot aiding in creating the distinct illusion of verticality. All of the surface effects add to the rugged, sturdy form bult for use while being finessed by potter and flame to create a classic Echizen vessel that shows Nishiura’s ability to move back and forth between the traditional and the modern voice he has given to his pottery. Though this would appear to be quite a distance from his later, unique pottery, the strength and vitality of his work is written across the form and surface on this hanaire acting as its own signature of the work of Nishiura Takeshi and no other.

TIMES TWO

Some while back I was asked to make a couple of whisky bottles and after some thought, design and back and forth, I arrived at this simple shape. The bodies were slab built and the neck and stoppers were both thrown and added to the mix. The surface was first covered in black slip and then the white slip was applied, impasto style before being bisque and then glaze fired with my Oribe and some Kuro-Oribe accents in the center of each side. The original two were done in temmoku and ash and honestly have a much different, darker appearance than these two which were made a week or so later. This is certainly no complex form, simple lines, straight forward texture and glazing but without a doubt, they certainly don’t look like your average whisky bottle and that was the idea all along.

MATSUKAZE

This rare and double illustrated Matsukaze Oni-Shino mizusashi is by Tsukigata Nahiko, the father and creator of all things Oni-Shino. This very sturdy, weighty hyotan inspired mizusashi is a perfect centerpiece for chajin and collectors alike where the wonderful crackled feldspar Shino glaze has cascading rivulets, small streams of ash running down the surface making for a rather evocative and seldom seen effect among Tsukigata’s works. The form and surface are excellent examples of Tsukigata’s surfaces and forms though the Matsukaze (Pine Wind) style surface is rarely seen and is well represented in the book on the potter, ONI-SHINO where this mizusashi is illustrated. Beyond the illustration in the ONI-SHINO volume, this mizusashi is also illustrated in an exhibition catalogue contemporaneously to the book.   

 

BODE, VAUGHN BODE

 

Way back in the day, I was the go-to kid in the neighborhood for getting stuff done; lawn work, shoveling snow, house painting, general errands and I even dug out an entire foundation by hand one summer after a severe rain storm filled it in with mud. The point here is I always had money for the monster/ horror/ sci-fi matinees, 45rpm records and comic books. Like most kids my comic interests was the early superheroes that then moved on to things like THE WIZARD OF ID, B.C. and ultimately anything and everything by Vaughn Bode. Bode’s work is a mix of the irreverent and not politically correct storytelling and illustration, his Bode Broads set a standard of female iconography and their graffiti versions can be seen on buses, trains and building now literally around the world with a little bit (!) of help from his son, Mark Bode.

What inspired me to wax nostalgic is that my COMPLETE COLLECTION OF DEADBONE EROTICA by Vaughn Bode arrived yesterday. It is a perfect anthology of Bode’s collected comic book works and it a class act from cover to cover, the illustrations and coloring is excellent and vivid and did I mention all of the Bode Broads together with a few references to Cheech Wizard thrown in for good measure? Truthfully this brings back all kinds of memories from my misspent youth but there are certainly worse things to be interested in and this book is highly recommended whether you are a interested in graphic arts, comic books, illustrators or a long-time fan or new to the genre, it is easy to be offended but very hard to be disappointed.

NEVER ENOUGH TIME

Today was one of those busy days, I have several pots to tool and slip decorate, had several pots to throw, slip to make up and four pots to pack to go out tomorrow. I am not complaining, time just flew by today where there is never enough time.  

Just this quick post of a rather unusual, not rare Ki-Seto chawan by Hayashi Shotaro with accents of tanpan to break up the rather uniform surface. Beyond the glaze choice and accents of copper and iron oxides, the faceting and spatula work breathe life into this form making for a rather pleasant chawan that feels quite at home in one’s hands or just hanging out on a shelf or near your computer on a desk. In reflection, though not a massive chawan, it is still likely just a bit too big for bourbon, I’ll have to look elsewhere today.

ANTICIPATION

Almost two decades ago I saw my first Sue-Bizen pot buy Yoshimoto Shuho only to find out it was already taken but at some level, collecting is about patience and “strategery” as Will Farrell (imitating George Bush) would say. The biggest problem was that my first encounter was with a dramatic and feudal piece that was a rather high bar to exceed. Then after quite some time, flash forward, having seen quite a number of Yoshimoto’s pots, I finally found a piece that had the same degree of surface, Sue-Bizen atmosphere and feudal inspiration and by sheer happenstance it had a lid, a perfect mizusashi.      

Illustrated is the Sueki inspired Bizen mizusashi by Yoshimoto Shuho, squared in form, each plane of the body is a series of deep, rustic carved channels or furrows that surround and encase the piece while the top of the pot is recessed a bit and completed with a lid cut from the clay of the pot itself. The surface is a series of colors, all washed over in a thin coating of natural ash giving the impression that this is more an Iga pot than a Bizen one but rest assured it has all of the tell-tale characteristic of early, wet Sueki ware and Sue-Bizen in particular. The surface varies from blue-grey, to light tan and greens and where the ash has built up in the ridges of the pot, there is small pools of ash, all crazed and doing its best to imitate bidoro effects. It was a long time waiting on what I considered the perfect replacement for the Yoshimoto Shuho vase all those years ago but when you combine the anticipation, the potter, a firing and a covered pot, it was certainly worth the wait. 

P = (a + b + c)

triangular (trīˈaNGɡyələr) ; shaped like a triangle; having three sides and three corners

Though not the most exciting photo, this teabowl came from a series where I was looking to do just about anything other than round on the wheel. The geometry and technique are quite simple as it is more about patience, waiting on the right consistency of the clay and then whacking it about to shape and defining the lines a bit with a rib. This one has had white slip applied waiting on some version of a transparent glaze, be it Oribe, amber, soda blue or my Ao+. At the end of the day, the thrown object left as it was on the wheel has a continual vista constantly giving way to new details of a continuous landscape while triangular, hexagonal, square forms throw up planes of surface and decoration that present new discoveries just around each edge of the form. Both approaches have their uses and purposes but every now and again, bending a circle to your will and beating it somewhat violently are just moments well spent.

TRIUMVIRATE

For good or bad, I must admit, I have a real “thing” for covered pots; covered, jars, mizusashi, boxes and what have you. I know I have mentioned this before but the mystery of what the interior looks like and “what's in the box” never cease to hold my attention and get my curiosity peaked to say the least. Though the Oxford definition of a box is; “a container with a flat base and sides, typically square or rectangular and having a lid”, a ceramic box can be so, so much more.  

Illustrated is one of those ceramic box forms that is so much more that the generally accepted idea of a box. This covered box has a wonderful form with perfect fit and finish as well as being well suited to function. Made by Bruce Cochrane, this was constructed out of multiple pieces of stoneware, dipped in a wonderfully visual and textured crackle slip and then wood fired, the interior has a liner glaze of Shino. Perhaps one of my favorite hidden features of this covered box form is the ever so slight hint of green glaze across the surface and where the glaze pooled a bit and to my eye, when was the addition of green anything but a bonus? Great box, great texture and what a wonderful surface, the ceramic triumvirate.

RAMBLING ACCOUNT

Fair warning, what follows is a concise (?) rambling account of a recent experience with a fellow collector that falls short in its telling compared to, say, Shakespeare but I will do my best to be as impartial as is possible also bearing in mind that right or wrong can reside somewhere in the middle. Less than a year ago, I started receiving messages from a beginning collector of Japanese pottery asking about different potters, signatures, the issues of fakes and other common issues. Over time the relationship became what I refer to as one of “internet friends”, we would share links, talk about recent acquisitions and best of all, we agreed to not compete against each other which worked quite well on both ends. Along with this “sharing is caring”, I sent along links of more than several pots that I was watching and waiting, well hoping would come down in price. Among these, this fellow collector decided to buy several of these pieces and to be fair, my thought process was, well, he was willing to pony up and spend the money at a time when I was not, best someone got the piece(s).      

Fast forward to recently when a pot I have been watching and this collector was aware of that fact (as I had originally sent him the link) for several months, finally went down in price but was on sale for only an additional 40 minutes. I contacted the other collector and told him I was going to purchase the pot unless I heard back to the contrary, he was online as I messaged him. Not hearing anything, we decided to go ahead and made the purchase and again informed the other collector, we had made the purchase, no subterfuge, we wanted to be above board. At this point, somehow cast as Othello’s Iago, the collector came back and used some choice language and finished his final message with, “I hope it arrives damaged”.      

Over the years I have certainly had a few dust-ups with fellow collectors over specific pieces, most were forgotten after the heat of the moment and of course, some were not. Collecting is fiercely personal, presumably driven by passion and to quite an extent, obsession but in all my years of collecting I have never had a fellow collector wish a pot arrive damaged*. Again, not painting myself as innocent in this tragic affair but the final statement and gesture really do have me wondering, how can someone really care or be passionate about an object and hope for its untimely demise, in my book, that is misguided at best and certainly more likely an unacceptable attitude of anyone who honestly values the hand made. (*As a post-script, I should mention the pot which caused this angst arrived, safe and sound, well packed and complete with a 20% off international shipping coupon, thank you very much.)       

Not to be confused with the pot in the ramble you may or not have made it through, here is a very cool blue heki-yu guinomi by Kimura Yoshiro with a flock of birds design making their way around the piece. The rich black decoration is just perfect against the deep, azure sea blue where the animated, whimsical nature of the piece would certainly add to the experience of use. Perfect blend of the old and the new and honestly, just a fun piece all around.

BIT OF SODA & COPPER

I am never disappointed with the sheer range of iron and copper in glazes and this is a perfect example where a bit of soda and copper make for an interesting surface. Though this is my tweaked version of a soda blue glaze, I didn’t come up with this all on my lonesome, I am honestly not sure where it came from, Linda Christianson, Linda Arbuckle or possibly Kirk Mangus way back in the 90s, but it works well and has been a staple glaze all this time.      

This soda blue hakeme teabowl stems from a series where a simple cylinder is thrown on the wheel and then somewhat inspired by the kutsu-gata concept, manipulated a bit before using a rasp and a simple disposable thin wedge to finish off the bowl. The bowl is then covered in a thin black slip inside and out before a thick white slip is applied and then textured, hakeme style. The diagonal pattern works well even on this ovoid form to play on a sense of movement. I am working on trying to figure out how this soda blue glaze works with various forms and ideas and suspect like my saffron, temmoku and Oribe glazes, there will be no shortage of attempts and failures leading to the occasional success, time will tell.

UNUSUAL EFFECT?

While I realize that an unusual effect or detail doesn’t make for a great pot, at the very least it does give you something to consider, think about or study and this area on the foot/ base of a chawan is just that. Looking at the kodai of a Kumano Kuroemon chawan what becomes immediately clear is that the iron that has been applied to this bowl has become very metallic and iridescent making for a rather engaging detail. I suspect this chawan had a hint of reduction during the intense wood firing at exactly the right time to reduce the elements just enough to create this alluring luster which I rarely (?) see on any pieces by Kumano. This metallic surface coupled with the normal clay color of the potter and the rich, soft, emerald green Shino covered in ash makes for a rather rich landscape at a place where it is mostly kept hidden at least while it is perched stationary on a shelf or desktop. However, when you take a moment to explore the chawan in hand going round and round, inside and out and finally to the base and foot this small treasure is exposed, a bit like a rainbow after a sudden shower.    

(Since this is not my pot, nor my photograph, this is all there is, no overall picture so please don’t ask.)

TO DO LIST

This is an old photo but I think it gets the message across, it speaks of what it is to be a Shino henko vase form by one of the leading potters of the region, Wakao Toshisada. I realize that not being a chawan, a vase doesn’t get all the same level of glamorous attention but the surface and wonky form of this piece certainly grabs my attention. The vertical form asks the eye to dart up and down the form where the uneven Nezumi-Shino battles between curdled grey and the iron that has made its way to the surface making the white decoration of grasses stand out across the pot, reaching upward again bringing the eye on a journey to the articulated shoulder and perfectly formed neck and mouth on what at its core could be considered a simple vessel.  As for Wakao Toshisada’s intent for this work, I will let this quote speak to that end; “Above all, I want to mix modern styles with traditional Japanese sense of beauty as it is presented in Nezumi-Shino.”. I think it pretty clear that he can check that goal off his list of things he had intended to do. 

WHAT'S THE HOLD UP

What’s the hold up, well the last two days were crazy days with workman here and then waiting on them to return, what should have taken a couple of hours became two days in a blink of an eye. To that end, pictured are the last holdouts, the last three pieces needed to fill the kiln and get on with the glaze firing. Though the two ring jars look glazed the same, they are not, one will be my saffron glaze with black iron accents, a total of three glazes, the other is Kuro-Oribe, three glazes and two washes in total. The bowl on the banding wheel is soda blue over combed slip with some accents that should show up nicely one fired, fingers crossed. The real slow going for a lot of my glazing is needing to wait a day after putting on the first base glaze, as you can imagine adding a day with a service interruption just adds more time and with me sort of dispossessed from my studio space and material to even carry out my list of glaze tests has dragged this firing off longer than expected. With any luck the weather will now cooperate and the temperatures steering clear of the 90s and I can get this fired and an order out the door.

Classic, medieval Ko-Iga style hanaire vase form by veteran potter, Kojima Kenji. Clearly based on some Iga archetype this sturdy vase was thrown and slightly manipulated to give the form a nice sense of gesture before adding thick and purposeful lugs and adding marks across the surface to further define the landscape of the piece. The front, entire shoulder and mouth are covered in ash from a dark ominous area where the vase sat in a charcoal bed to the green opaque glass that creates a distinct landscape reminiscent of medieval pottery masking its actual age. This was made and fired to recapture the feudal appearance of Ko-Iga ware at which it has clearly succeeded.  You can see more of this pot over on my Trocadero marketplace; 

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1506348/MEDIEVAL-KO-IGA-HANAIRE-BY-KOJIMA-KENJI-KK-MKIH9 

The FOURTH

Happy Fourth of July to all, cherish all of your freedoms, from the simplest to those that make us who we are.

CANNOLI COUNTRY

My wife was on a business trip recently which brought her smack-dab in the heart of cannoli country so she made her way to one of our favorite North-Eastern bakeries. Situated near Madison, CT is home of the cannoli truck and Meriano’s Bakery and no visit to the area is complete without bringing home at least a few special indulgences. Illustrated is the perfect ration of goodies, two chocolate covered cannoli with traditional filling along with a flakey and tasty lobster tails also with the standard cannoli filling and to finish things off two very rich and rewarding strawberry and cheese croissants. The group is displayed nicely on one of my terra cotta black and white slipped plates, roughly 14” across. No sooner are the pastries gone than I am already plotting another excuse to be in the area of Meriano’s, where the flavor never wanes and in fact I think may be better each and every visit.

QUICK REVISIT

This is just a quick revisit, a fly-by of a recent Seiji guinomi by Ono Kotaro. It is likely just me but this photo shows off the lines, furrows, curves and shadows that defines this little pot, crafted and conceived through years of experience and practice. It took me some time but I have learned there is as many ways to look at a pot as there are pots or maybe even stars in the sky.

BROWN

I made this short video slideshow a number of years ago of a rather large, over 16” tall sake bottle by Ningen Kokuho, Fujiwara Kei. This video shows off a rich array of details that all come together to make for a rather intriguing and memorable (brown) Bizen pot. Enjoy the slideshow. 

HOPE & TESTING II

Every now and again I will throw a group of small footed bowls or cups for anticipated testing and this is just such a piece, no frills, bells or whistle rather singularly about seeing results. I keep trying to figure out what to do with my Hagi white glaze that on its own is a bit lackluster. I was a bit surprised by the sheer amount of color saturation that I got with the simple addition of a black glaze composed of manganese dioxide, iron oxide and cobalt, the glaze just melted into the surface and more or less maintained the decoration which I figured would just melt into an unrecognizable mess. I guess the bigger question now is will this continue to work and where do I go from here though I suspect the next surface may be horizontal and a bit less vertical. We will see and yet I am always mindful of my testing and glazing strategy; “Sperare optima, Parare pessimal, Expectare inexpectata”

CREATIVE BLEND

Emerging from the shadows, the skin of this lobed melon style Oribe vase highlighted by our Sun clearly shows off the clay texture and marks of the pottery without even a hint of ambiguity. This Oribe pot was made by Tsukamoto Haruhiko who I have written about before and like in previous examples, his works are a creative blend of whimsy, volume, form, surface and exploration. There is volume and movement at play where the form is animated, alive and filled with gesture and playfulness based on centuries of Oribe archetypes where those features are sought after and hard won by generation after generation in pursuit of the tradition. Though not terribly large in scale, the fullness of the form partially narrated by the marks of the potter are concluded with a casual and free-spirited neck and mouth that serve as a perfect conclusion to the piece where scale is relative. Tsukamoto has managed to pull together a wide array of features, details, form and surface to create a perfect addition to the Oribe tradition where I am constantly reminded, it isn’t always easy being green.

ALL THAT JAZZ

So, I am rather sure that this will not be what everyone sees in this pot but when I first saw this Oribe vase, it reminded me of a scene of the Bob Fosse story, ALL THAT JAZZ. The posture and attitude of this hanaire by Sone Yoshiyuki has that vibe of confidence and surety wrapped up in a form casually thrown and then skillfully manipulated, marked and slightly beaten before it had lugs slapped to either side of the vase adding a bit of definition to the pot. As you can see the rough, almost torn throwing marks, caused likely by a piece of rough wood or a rib has filled with the Oribe glaze making for a real sense of rhythm circumnavigating the form while the area on the face that looks to have been pushed in just a bit with long vertical marks has a pale, amber hue contrasting rather poetically against the deep green. Though I suspect all of these considerations, marks and alterations happened in mere minutes, it is the practiced hand of years, even decades of work that make for the rather casual and spontaneous appearance that creates such a simple and often duplicated vessel. What I see in this vase is a vocabulary of the old tradition of Oribe, ushered in by Furuta Oribe intermingled with that modern touch which Sone Yoshiyuki has plied to the clay, glazing and firing of his highly individual work. 

WAY BACK WHEN

On a recent phone conversation, a fellow collector was talking about Matsuzaki Ken and his Yohen-Shino at which point I mentioned that way back when I had done a fair amount of experimenting and had also come up with a Yohen Shino glaze back in the very early 90s while working at Cleveland State University. In point of fact, after coming back from seeing a group of majolica and faience pots I decided I wanted to create a luster Shino and started making up  tests in Jan 1992 and by Feb 1992 I had hit upon my first successful glaze surface, ST212/2/92y (Shino test #212, 2/92) that you can see illustrated in the pictures of a teabowl from the first large batch of this group of Yohen-Shino. Having taken some cues from Alan Caiger Smith I was able to, firing in a rather healthy reduction atmosphere to create a surface that had a rather lustrous, iridescent surface which was the first time I had ever seen this effect on contemporary pottery*.      

To be clear, I am not saying I invented this but rather I had never physically encountered it before nor had I seen it any magazine or publication (this did pre-date the internet by quite a few years). What I can say about this surface is that I did not decide to carry out this testing based on something I had seen but rather something else, arts and crafts pottery and reduction lusters on majolica triggered this whole line of inquiry. Before I seemed to move on from this technique, I had also started firing small pieces in saggers that had pulverized charcoal and sometimes oxides mixed in and spread around the base of the enclosures to further effect the surface. Honestly like much of my testing over the years this was highly enjoyable having an idea and being able to put it into practice and reality to make this wonky "new" Shino come to life. 

(*As sure as the earth spins around the Sun,  am sure that someone out there is going to pre-date my testing and use of this glaze)

BLAST FROM THE PAST

This wonderful kohiki faceted vase is a blast from the past, both my past and the potter’s past as well. Dating from the 1990s, this Korean Joseon influenced kohiki vase is a classic example of the work of Yoshimura Masaya (b. 1938) who’s works span various traditional archetypes as in this case to rather unique, contemporary interpretations of the singular use of slip. 

This mentori-hanaire is pure simplicity, perfect lines, full, dynamic volume and a surface that is one part simplicity and another part complexity in just measured balance. Adding to the landscape, each faceted line shows through the slip along with part of the lip focusing one’s attention away from the purity of the surface, surveying details that almost seem out of place yet end up helping to define the form and pot overall. It is clear that Yoshimura spent a lifetime pursuing and dedicated to kohiki slipware while adding his own modern and idiosyncratic fingerprint to a rather old tradition which spans centuries and countries in its origin.

A BIT OF EVERYTHING

I am sure that I am repetitive in my use of descriptions for a great number of wood fired pots but despite that fact, I think I choose my words somewhat carefully and with an eye on what I am actually thinking and not some device easily put to use. What gets me there is this katakuchi style mizusashi, truly this has that medieval, old presence, like it was plucked out of the kitchen and pressed into service by some tea master of old including the manufacturing of a custom lid to complete the package. The surface both inside and out is just a wonderful array of effects, a bit of everything as it were, on this well fired pot, crafted by the hands Sugimoto Sadamitsu and fired under his watchful eye and decades of experience to make such a simple, humble and captivating vessel.     

Timeless, another descriptor I use well too often is perhaps among the best ways to characterize this mizusashi as it is seemingly not bound in the past or the present, it somehow is on its very own parallel timeline. The foot is flat and covered in ash while the front and back present somewhat differing landscapes where the one side is covered in streaking, cascading ash and the other is a blend of runny ash and rich red hi-iron color fumed during the firing. However, it is the interior that holds the biggest surprise, once the custom lacquer lid is removed, the interior is a series of waterfalls that culminate in a large, pure emerald green pool that is a bit like encountering a pot at the end of the proverbial rainbow. Timeless, wabi-sabi, medieval, classic; in the end it doesn’t matter how it is described, this Shigaraki mizusashi has quite the landscape and just sings instead of speaking. 

 

SAFE BET

Since I have wrapped up my recent orders, today was the day that I decided to take some time and make a few stoneware teabowls for myself. They are a bit time consuming as I deal with each one from start to finish; I throw them, alter them a bit, blow-dry them, address the lip, deal with the base and foot and then give them a gentle, diagonal shave. The tools involved are simple, while throwing, nothing but a sponge and then afterward I use a knife, a rasp, heat-gun, sponge and one of my favorite new tools in multi-packs, my Lowe’s special shims which I sand to a sharp edge. Perhaps what I enjoy most about these teabowls is the amount of lift they exhibit from a somewhat smaller foot which in truth is neither too small or too large, just the right pedestal for the job. Now that there are a group made, I will wait on them drying and likely move toward the Oribe and Kuro-Oribe surfaces, time will tell but it is a pretty safe bet.

I SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING

I think as you look at this very early Shino mizusashi by Tamaoki Yasuo, it is rather easy to think to yourself, I see where you are going based on this pot and his work of the past five decades. I am not 100% sure when this was made though I suspect in the 80s based on several shows of his work I attended in 1991 and 1992 as well as a number of catalogues, but his manner of handling clay and his glazing is more or less easy to identify even in this early and less mature work. The fine mogusa clay was casually thrown with little manipulation off the wheel, the gallery is study and perfect for this thick, thrown lid and knob which is just right for the scale and function. Though early, you can see the foundation of many of Tamaoki’s Shino formulas in this glaze which marries well with the softish form, simple throwing marks, taper and indentation. The glaze appears to be applied rather haphazardly but there are several applications to get to this point showing off a rich red where the pot was held during glazing to a soft, slightly toasty white running down the surface making full effect of gravity and showcasing the vertical qualities of the pot. 

Now I won’t go as far as to say it has that old Edo style appearance but it does capture some of that feeling while making a break from the stiffer forms and glazes of many of the 70s Mino potters, excluding Arakawa and Tokuro. In truth, I find it rather intriguing to be able to draw that “through line” in the work from present day all the way back to where it began.

YAKISHIME SHIGARAKI

Well fired yakishime Shigaraki chawan by Yoshisuji Keiji. This somewhat simple chawan, appearing almost as it came off the wheel has a wide array of glaze effects from a dry, dark ash to a coating of ice like, light green ash where the entire bowl is completely surround with the wood fired effect that you can see. The foot works well with the form, on the small side which I really like, creating a nice pedestal for the bowl which also provides some nice lift and creates a great shadow line as well.      

Yoshisuji Keiji (b.1952) lives and works in Shizuoka Pref. and apprenticed under the internationally recognized Shigaraki potter, Kohyama Yasuhisa. Making a wide variety of wood fired, yakishime pottery out of Shigaraki clay, Yoshisuji makes both functional and non-functional ceramics including some sculptural pieces which includes his well know and sought after “apple” and Buddha hand okimono. Though this chawan shows the distinct influences of his master, Yoshisuji works with his own forms and distinct firing style creating pieces that pay tribute not only to Kohyama but the wood fired tradition rooted in Shigaraki and now spread across much of Japan.

You can see this chawan over on my Trocadero marketplace;

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1505092/YAKISHIME-SHIGARAKI-CHAWAN-BY-YOSHISUGI-KEIJI

EoD REVISITED

I put up a bowl that I made as a spur of the moment, end of day kind of project and it occurred to me I never put it up finished. Illustrated is a simple porcelain v-bowl with chattered black slip and a soda blue glaze to complete the package. As I mentioned before, trying to make the chattered pattern look a bit distinct, I use the very corner of the tool and in the end, I get what I get and each piece looks just a bit different from each other. I will say when working in series of slipped and carved pieces, turning to this simple and enjoyable technique reduces the sameness of carving a dozen grasses pattern pots in a row and I am all for keeping things interesting.

TSURUKUBI

My understanding is that this vase and another that I had here were bought from an auction house in Japan a number of years ago, a gourd vase and this crane's neck (tsurukubi) vase, one Iga and this one Shigaraki pottery by Furutani Michio. This hanaire was fired quite well and has a rather nice landscape composed of three distinct strata of color from the light brown area at the base, the greyish-blue collar with some additional ash effects to the dark, almost ominous nature of the upper most part of the neck and mouth capping off the long neck. 

When I first saw this pot I thought this was a slightly unusual form for Furutani Michio and then over the years I have seen several more though each one it own unique piece with its own unique surface also proving that no form gently nuanced or sophisticatedly designed was beyond the reach of potter and flame. This vase has a rather engaging tactile presence where rough gives way to smooth in patches like it is battling for some supremacy but the real winner in this fight is the viewer seeing the array of wood fired and visual effects that go beyond traditional Shigaraki pottery clearly representing the firing, surfaces and philosophy of one of the greatest Shigaraki (and Iga) potters of the 20th century, Furutani Michio.

RECIPRICOL

Recently a friend sent me three wonderful books as a gift, one of them was a large folio on Kawai Kanjiro and the binding is all handmade Japanese paper. Refusing payment, even for the postage I wondered what could I sent to offset this debt as we have something of a reciprocal back and forth going on, more of my pots seemed a bit insignificant and then along came a chawan. As I was searching the auctions, I came across what I thought was exactly the right chawan; exotic yohen temmoku surface, just a bit on the small side and what the dealer assured me was a bowl that was not too heavy. The recipient of the bowl is an avid tea drinker, putting his pots to hard use and he is rather particular about size, weight and of course aesthetics. Several weeks later the bowl arrived here and was shipped off to its new owner. 

The chawan is by Ii Koji who I know very little about though I have seen several chawan, a Kuan style celadon vase and misc. guinomi, yunomi and small plates. The surfaces are somewhat similar but I thought this one worked quite well among those that I have seen. With any luck this will find favor at its new home, be used hard, put away dry and enjoyed for many years to come.

BURUGURE

I have to admit, this covered jar was nearly impossible for me to photograph accurately. Thrown out of stoneware with black and then combed white slip, the base glaze was my Oribe and over that went two different iron glazes to the effect you see here. As you may be able to tell, the secondary glazes were applied to just below the combed slip and during the firing they all melted and ran down the pot thanks to our constant companions, gravity and thermodynamics. The result is a rather broody appearing slip-jar with a variety of colors running down the surface with the combed slip design calling out, what about me? This wasn’t exactly what I had been going for but considering this application had only been tried out on smaller pieces, I can’t honestly say that I really knew the final outcome. What I can tell you is that I had made five of these covered jars in total, two fairly traditional Oribe, one amber and then two in what ever this version of Kuro-Oribe should be called, maybe I should go with Burūgurē-Oribe moving forward?

MEMORIAL DAY 2025

 

COLLECTOR'S NIGHTMARE?

I realize it will likely sound like I am just droning on again about how differently pots can look from illustration to illustration or in person but I imagine this being the bane of many a collector's nightmares as a piece arrives and looks quite a bit different than expected. I should qualify this and say, this is not always a bad thing but in some instances the variation is too great and the piece is in the end, just not what was anticipated.  

Illustrated is a pot that to be honest at first glance doesn't look like its photo, this Shigaraki mizusashi by Suzuki Shigeji was illustrated in a volume of the GENDAI CHATO TAIKAN, as seen in the upper right corner showing off a nice, grey suit with blue tones and some charcoal effect. What I got to experience first and is to be honest much closer to my photo taken using a single tungsten bulb which is far more suited to the Shigaraki moniker showing everything from wet green to browns of various colors and tones.   

Aside for the color/ photo issues, this Suzuki mizusashi is all about the classics from form and potter's marks to the lid, lid placement and the wood fired surface, all indicative of a Shigaraki inspired traditional piece. Despite the overall appearance, the gallery where the lid fits is encircled with a ring of glass which is a nice detail that welcomes you as soon as you lift the lid. Covered pots have that sense of mystery, "what's in the box" as it were, is it cookies, seeds, dog food, who knows what and little details like a flowing green glass river around the form add to that sense of wonder. If only every lid hid such a surprise and whether by plan of serendipity, Suzuki Shigeji succeeded in adding that right amount of additional wonder to his ritual based wood fired jar.

MORE BLACK & WHITE

I can’t remember posting up any of this trailed glaze work before, so if I had, well, here it is again. The teabowl was thrown out of a small batch sandy whiter stoneware, glazed in a thin coat of a clear glaze and then I trailed over shiny, deep black decoration which under some lighting looks browner than it is intended to. The interior is also trail decorated tying the bowl together and then the foot is loosely tooled to give it an overall casual feel. Though it may not get noticed, this is just another incarnation of using more black and white surfaces that I seem to always come back to, in fact, I rely on this quite a bit more than almost any other surface, I wonder if at the end of the day if it is routine, habit or comfort that is the motivation?