M3 IV

Among the confines of my own personal museum, museum mentis meae (M3), many of the pieces contained within are those stalwart pots I would term “classics”, many from the post-war years and running up to the early days of the Heisei era. Within this treasured group of potters there are some that stand out for the artistry, creativity and technical abilities despite not reaching the vaulted levels of Itaya Hazan or Kawai Kanjiro. Surrounded by the giants and pioneers of traditional and technical stewardship I am always pointed to the work of Shinkai Kanzan (1912-2011), grandson of Seifu Yohei IV and student of the multi-talented Kiyomizu Robei V, his (Kanzan’s) pottery is well represented in museums throughout Japan. Like many of the post-war potters and especially many of the Kyoto artists, Kanzan’s mastery of form and glazes made his work immediately stand out among other potters of the area and times where he focused quite heavily on naturalistic designs and decoration where he brought to life birds, fish and others to life in his own unique style many of them created by using molds for sprigged on elements to narrate and animate his surfaces. Though, like with many of these M3 level potters, I show a pronounced bias, what continues to speak to me regarding his work is the interconnectivity of his diverse body of work where as you encounter one, it is easy to exclaim, “that is certainly another Shinkai Kanzan”.     

Illustrated or rather depicted in my mind’s museum is this classic, colorful and playful Nishiki-sarasa mizusashi by Shinkai Kanzan. This mizusashi was chosen because of this clever and complex surface which was an oft repeated technique used to both decorate and articulate his mostly simple forms. Using some version of a resist, which I have always assumed was cut paper, a profound pattern is created which once glazed and fired adds layers of depth and movement to the pottery in question. Using a buff stoneware clay, typical of many Kyoto potters, a thick white slip is applied onto the surface and then the paper resist is removed exposing the fullness of the pattern only to be glazed, in this case using a clear glaze where carefully and selectively applied oxide washes are employed and during the firing where thickness of surface and temperature add a degree of serendipity to experience to run and bring the pot to the fullness of its expression.         

I suspect there will be opinions out there that consider this a rather ‘dated” piece and ironically, I agree; modern in its day, it blends the Kyoto aesthetic with Art Nouveau and T’ang elements and characteristics which were percolating around during the 1970s making this a classic and even defining pot of the period. This blend, even dated, reminds me of Basho’s poem where even while in Kyoto, he longs for Kyoto, this is the state this pot brings me to as the encounter was a decade or so ago. I think that if I was being totally honest, when I think of Kyoto potters or Shinkai Kanzan specifically, this multi-colored and patterned mizusashi always spring to mind and with just a tiny amount of help from AI, I am able to see it almost exactly how I envision this pot in my mind. Isn’t technology great?   

(*This picture contains an actual image of a pot or pots in an AI generated background or scenario)