Illustrated is a mystical and mythic
beast, the kirin, made of clay and glazed over in an ash style, almost Ki-Seto
like glaze which one can assume will not be confused with the beer brand.
Captured in dramatic movement, this okimono is suspended in mid-leap, held up
by a simple copper rod and a simple, plain block of wood. The animated movement
and motion etched and modeled into the surface work in sympathy with each
other, exactly as planned by a sculptor skilled in capturing and expressing
dynamic tension, movement and expression in little more than a handful of clay.
In Japanese ceramic sculpture, few mythological creatures grab our
attention as much as the elusive and mysterious kirin, except the pantheon of
Eastern dragon. A chimeric herald of peace, prosperity, and cosmic harmony, the
kirin is traditionally depicted as a celestial, mythical chimera, an amalgam of
spirited animals, a little bit dragon, a little bit stag draped in scales and
flanked by animated flames looking a bit like the paint job on a ’57 Chevy. It
is a creature so benevolent that its hooves tread softly enough to avoid
crushing a single blade of grass, this particular and idiosyncratic rendering
translates millennium of monumental mythology into ceramic form without
succumbing to stiff, ceremonial formality which clearly requires a potter of
exceptional sensibility.
Enter
Takaba Eizi. Known for his expressive and distinctly unique approach to
sculpted ceramic figures (okimono), Takaba breathes a lively, human vitality
and expressiveness into this traditional subject matter animating clay with an
inner voice and deft touch. Rather than casting a static, immovable guardian,
the clay is hand-modeled with a true sense of direct, tactile immediacy. His
fingers, his tools and his sculpting all leave an indelible record of the
making process, the soft, pinched ridges of the mane, the rhythmic tool marks
defining the scaled flanks, and the carved, spiraling clouds swirling across
the beast’s hindquarters all speak to the process of its creation.
What makes this particular piece
magnetic is its sheer, whimsical buoyancy, its posture and its presence
reflecting well beyond its scale. Raised on its slender copper support and wood
plinth, the creature seems less like a heavy clay object and more like a
celestial being caught mid-flight, stretching its neck skyward with quiet joy
and mythical exuberance. The surface treatment accentuates this sculptural
playfulness where warm, earthy clay tones peak through a lightly applied, pale
wash or slip, highlighting every carved groove and impressed scale to maximum
and even dramatic effect. The contrast between deep, shadowed crevices and
soft, matte highlights endows the creature with dynamic light and shadow.
Takaba Eizi achieves a rare balance in
his work, honoring the ancient iconographic dignity of the kirin while infusing
it with a modern, intimate, joyful warmth. It stands as a masterwork of his hand-built
ceramic art, a sculptural testament to how traditional myth can be revitalized,
modernized through clay, touch, and imaginative spirit.
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