STANDARD BEARER

I thought it more than about time to follow up on my MAKER'S MARKS post showcasing the work of Furutani Michio by putting up an overall shot of the Iga vase in question. In some respects there is nothing remarkable about this vase in regards to Furutani Michio's body of work, it is certainly a classic pot, well fired, carefully crafted and articulated with just the right amount of incised marks to bring the pot to life and tie all of the elements of the piece together. Though not remarkable, the truth is that his body of work in his later period is mostly of a rather uniformly high level of skill and artistry, the forms are filled with strength, vigor and purpose while the firings are among the best of the late Showa and early Heisei periods, in other words he was at the very top of his game.    

This particular Iga vase has a wonderful posture and attitude where the form, marks and surface are seamlessly integrated with details painted across the surface so plentiful that it is possible to get lost in the parts and miss the feudal presentation of the whole.  This is yet another Furutani trait that sets his work apart from many of his contemporaries and undoubtedly why his influence and style is still emulated and admired over 20 years after his early passing. It is rather easy for me to wax poetic when discussing Furutani Michio's body of work and his individual pots, have handled many of his pieces and meeting him on a number of occasions included just as he had emptied a kiln, dozens of pots all spread out on a large blue tarp, but through dedication, traditional ideals and his writings, he was and still is the standard bearer of the Iga and Shigaraki traditions which he helped move into the 21st century. 

WHERE NOW?

Though it may not be Kilimanjaro, The Coliseum or perhaps the Parthenon, these fire and clay landscapes are composed of both wild and subtle beauty ranging from the serene to the chaotic. With each and every piece that I encounter by Kojima Kenji, I see these wide array of landscapes, keshiki that range from experiences and memories of my personal encounters to images, photographs (and video) that I have seen that connect me from place to pot and this chawan is no different. Reminding me of the tail end of winter where ice gives way back to rock face among the majesty of the Adirondacks I think back on the very last snowshoeing treks through  the wilderness where thick ice has made its home on rock and stone at every turn. 

As you can see in this photo, this is a strong, determined bowl with just the right amount of manipulation of the pot to bring attention to the lift of the piece, the shadow line, the posture and the casualness of the lip. The face of the chawan is covered in a translucent coating of natural green ash that gives way to the wet, fumed area of rich brown that concludes in hi-iro on the rear. When you put all of the individual details together, there is a seductive quality to the chawan that is certainly further enriched by its ability to transport you to a different place and a different time with little more than a small amount of clay and the masterful brushwork of a fierce and rather convincing firing.

HIER EN DAR

Illustrated is a rather robust, exhibition chawan by Kishimoto Kennin. I handled this chawan a while back and always find it interesting when I can correlate an exhibition photo to the pot in hand to get a sense of not only what the bowl looks like to my eye and through my camera lens but also through the vision of a photographer in their studio somewhere in Japan. I will start by saying that the photo I took of the page out of the exhibtion catalogue is a bit washed out but at least from my experience does not capture the richness, depth and power of this Iga chawan which I have tried to portray in my photo. For those interested in technique, using my camera set to automatic focus and with the tungsten filter set to on, I used a 100watt tungsten bulb to photograph this piece and other than to crop the photo, no photo manipulation was undertaken. The photo I ended up with here is exceptionally close to what the chawan looks like in person and unlike the catalogue picture, you can see the depth of the ash surface, the richness of the clay and the perpetual wetness that the pot exudes. I have written about Kishimoto Kennin in previous blog posts, I truly admire how he handles clay and fires his pots from Iga to seiji and all the styles in between, he strive to allow the clay to speak under any natural of added surface and creates pots that add to the traditions in which he works. I was very happy with my experience handling this chawan and being able to see it here and there but it never ceases to amaze me how different a pot can look through two different lens.

INTIMACY

I was recently exchanging photos and emails with a fellow collector when they asked, where are the big pieces? I had to remark that we actually have very few large pots and have instead concentrated on pieces that circle around the sphere of the tea ceremony. These pots are mostly comprised of chawan, mizusashi, chaire and flower vases with some kogo, tokkuri, guinomi and yunomi thrown in for good measure and a certain degree of happenstance. In reality, our collecting has been mostly about the intimacy of objects that can be easily handled, fondled even and studied at arms length to get the fullest sense of the aesthetic and purpose. I am not excluding larger pieces intentionally, it is just that more often than not large pieces just lack the intimate nature of a chawan and surely the scale becomes imposing to handle, display or store and after years of being around potters and other artist who I have collected from and traded with, storage and display space is at a Ginza like premium in our small home.

Creating an intimate connection, this low, rounded Iga chawan feels right at home in the cupped hand, as if it were made to to fit me alone, though it fits equally as well in the hand of my wife and a few others who have handled it. The ability to finish a chawan so that the bottom and kodai work well together and are pleasing not only to the touch but to the eye is a well practiced skill won through years of trial, error, experience and dedicated patient observation and in this case it was created at the hands of the Iga specialist, Kojima Kenji. For this low and open chawan, Kojima first place a healthy swath of slip glaze around the mouth of the bowl which opens to a fire flashed rear where the face and back of the interior is covered in a coat of all natural ash glaze accumulated through an intense, near week long firing of his anagama kiln. Though simple in form and foot this bowl gives off a rather comforting intimacy that creates that sense of having know the piece for a very long time and what could be better than that?

WELL CONCEIVED HONESTY

Though  not without its organic qualities, this chawan by Banura Shiro is radically different than the chawan I posted by Kumano Kuroemon the other day. Banura Shiro had a wonderful knack for creating work that has an honest and spontaneous quality despite the fact that his work was well conceived and executed within a high degree of exacting control. I would suggest that the first step in his work was the design or concept of the piece followed by the creation of the canvas, in this case the making of the classic Banura chawan form. Once the pot was made, the general, overall texture was created and then the design/ decoration was applied and for this chawan that would then include a post-firing application of a gold rubbed finish that was finalized by a low temperature firing to lock in the surface. I have always found that despite the fact that Banura Shiro relied on variations of this chawan form and his leaves (foliage) design, each and every pot has a singular attitude and fresh appeal that allows a connected body of work to be populated by unique and individual pots.

VIRIDITATEM

I put together a short video slideshow of a Ko-Iga style chawan by Kojima Kenji that a fellow collector sent my way and that is currently up on my Trocadero marketplace. It is a large and very pleasing piece that was thrown, tooled and fired with little manipulation or alterations to the bowl from wet to hardened clay. I like a bowl that maintains the freshness and directness from the wheel head and this particular pot has captured that essence. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

You can see more of this chawan over at my Trocadero marketplace;
http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1334852/item1334852store.html

RIGHT ON TRACK

Illustrated is a picture that I found on the web of an Ko-Iga style vase by Kojima Kenji. It is obvious this piece dates early in Kojima's career but the strength of form and his mastery of firing is clearly seen in here. The bamboo form is casual in its making creating an imposing presence with a strong ridge defining the piece, the confident marks made along the pot articulate the surface and break the tension just a bit. The majority of the vase form is cloaked in a rich green ash that appears wet and in motion while there is a triangular patch where charcoal has painted a portion of the base creating a wonderful juxtaposition to the rest of the surface. Though this pot has strong ties to feudal archetypes than his more contemporary vessels it is clear that he was right on track to creating robust and honest pottery that reflects a dedication to Ko-Iga and the personal vision of a pioneer.

"To make beautiful Igayaki, one shouldn't fuss too much with the shapes but stay conscious of showing off the beautiful green color." From an interview between Hiroshi Den and Kojima Kenji, translated by Peter Ujlaki.

ABCs

My first impressions of this pot draws to mind an ancient stoic seated stone Buddha semi-covered in moss or a clay Haniwa figure of a warrior blanketed in shades of red, buff and greys as if right out of the fire; it processes a sense of the monolith or totem, while fusing  together a feudal aesthetic and a bold presence of modernism. For me, a good pot has this ability, the pot looks to be defined by your experiences (and expectations) while creating new ones and glimpsing insight into  the process, clay and firing of  the potter. This noble vessel was made by the Iga veteran Kojima Kenji and is an amalgam of the ominous and the inviting, the energized and the calming and a great part of its function is to enrich and command its environment. Painted in hues of soft emerald green to dark and mysterious charcoal effects with a rich hi-iro on one side where one lug is attached and a deep fire born purple on the opposite, this piece is truly painted by the fire and ash. There are few pots by any single potter that encompass the vocabulary, the ABCs of a maker but this is everything one has come to expect from Kojima-san and an exciting addition to the tradition of a new century of Iga-yaki.

"It is necessary for a potter to plant both feet and listen to the song of the clay." Kojima Kenji

(Photo provided by and courtesy of the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery)

TAMANEGI?

Illustrated is a photo from an article in the December 15th edition of the Okinawan Times of Iga veteran potter Kojima Kenji and a wonderful Iga bottle with a rich emerald coating of natural (shizen) ash glaze running from mouth to shoulder with a variety of other effects finishing out the ensemble. Kojima-san's most recent exhibition was in the Okinawan capital of Naha where seventy pieces were on display through December 20th, 2015. This particular bottle is typical of the surfaces Kojima gets in his kiln using mostly pine for his firings with vivid glassy surfaces balanced with rich fire colors and charcoal effects. I am immediately reminded of an old onion bottle typically seen on pre-modern sailing ships and used to store wine or brandy and with the very glassy neck it puts me in mind all the more due to its bidoro appearance. It must have been quite an exhibition!

PERFECT DISPLAY

I came across this photo on the internet while doing a search for pottery tools of all things. Though I have quite a few tools, I seem to go through cut off wires like crazy and was curious if there are better version than the ones I am currently using and didn't find one, I am likely to go back to making my own. At any rate, I found this very perfect display of a rich Iga vase housing a perfect blossom by Kojima Kenji. The perfect part of this display is that the vase is resting on a older, used and cracked kiln shelf which in turn rests on a traditional tatami mat; the contrast of materials and texture is rather intriguing and certainly an eyeful. In fact, there more that I think about the display the only way I can think for it to be any better is if it were located in our home! All I need to do now is wait  for the FTD people to show up

"Wishful thinking is one thing and reality another." Jalal Talabani

YU-DAMARI

I will admit, it can seem like I drone on about certain things, like details perhaps. There is no escaping the fact that when I survey a pot, I am particularly detail oriented though I would like to think that the sum of the whole is not being missed during the process. I recently was studying a very nice Tsujimura Shiro Iga mizusashi and was struck by the posture and attitude of the pot along with the way it was thrown and the very fine firing it received as a result of what one can only assume is exacting placement of the piece. As I studied the pot, I kept coming back to the vibrant depth of the glassy ash (yu-damari) ring which encircled the knob as it it was planned just that way. Where the knob and the lid proper merged, there is a slight depression which filled up around the protrusion to create a stunning visual which invites the viewer to pick up the lid. Planned or serendipity, these are the type of details that accumulate to create a wonderful pot and could we have expected anything less from Tsujimura Shiro?

FRINGE BENEFITS

When I first set up my marketplace on the web, my expectation was to sell some of the pottery I made as well as to find new homes for pots that I had collected to study. From the beginning I realized I couldn't keep every pot that I bought and the thought was to buy pieces that I wanted to learn from and in some other way would leave an impression on me and consequently, my work. What I didn't expect was that fellow collectors, friends and even customers would ask me to try to sell pots that had for any number of reasons, no longer suited the collector or collection. This has undoubtedly been a wonderful fringe benefit of the website. Over the years I usually see a good handful of pots a month that pass through my hands and go on to new collectors, collections and even the occasional private or public collection. It is quite enjoyable to have new pots come by that I can study and as the pieces don't cost me anything, the price is always right.

Illustrated is a rather well fired Iga vase by the late Furutani Michio. This is a pot that was bought from a Japanese dealer and over time, the collector concluded the piece was not quite right for his collection so it came (and went) by me and it was very rewarding to get the opportunity to handle it. The form is quite strong with a slight lean forward to its posture due to the dramatic lobes and intense firing. The color of the liquid ash is rather elegant despite its definite bravado. Quite frankly, this vase has a wide array of effects creating a vivid landscape that is exceptionally well suited to the form; knowing how adept Furutani Michio was at both creating form and their strategic placement in the kiln, how could it have been otherwise.

A THEORY OF RELATIVITY

I recently was able to complete a trade for a pot that I had wanted for quite some time and was  exceptionally surprised to get the better end of the deal. Well, let me clarify that, to me, I got the better end of the deal, not necessarily so from the person I traded with who has exactly the same viewpoint regarding what they received. It is somewhat paradoxical that a piece that I so highly regard can be just another "ordinary" pot to another, I guess it is just relative to what you like and respond to for whatever reason. Offered here is a theory of relativity as it applies to "stuff", in the end, we both got exactly what we wanted and in a perfect world, that should always be the outcome. A very similar event happened recently on a Japanese website, a pot that I found incredible (and beyond our price range) was listed and I was sure by the next morning it would be sold, it was not, Morning after morning passed and it was still there, to us very frustrating and as irritating as anything else. It took quite a few months to sell and it just seemed to defy logic how anyone else who would encounter the pot didn't see it exactly as we did. I have long since concluded that perception and experience are as different from individual to individual as is our idiosyncratic genetic profiles.

I know I have touched on this subject before on my blog but simply put, there are times that I am just amazed at the great disparity in how people value things, to me a treasure and to someone else, just another "thing". It is not exactly "one man's treasure is another man's trash", but honestly there is no rational explanation for this phenomena and luckily so. If everyone wanted exactly the same "stuff" it would be very, very difficult and prohibitively expensive for most collectors to collect, I am certain that the needed diversity of interest is exactly what keeps the earth spinning around the sun, so much for Copernicus' theory.

Illustrated is a solitary and noble sunlit Iga vase by Furutani Michio. I had set the vase on a shelf while I was photographing another pot and nature did the rest of the work.

"This perception of division between the seer and the object that is seen, is situated in the mind. For those remaining in the heart, the seer becomes one with the sight."  Ramana Marharsi

SITTING PRETTY

Illustrated is a knob, sitting pretty on top of a mizusashi by veteran Iga potter, Imai Yasuhito (B.1937). Featured in the GENDAI CHATO TAIKAN among a wide array of other books and catalogues, Imai founded and works at his Renzan-gama studio making classic and traditional Iga pottery which has a very feudal feel to his work. This simple and well fired pot has a knob that speaks of function while being classically dressed as a result of an exceptional firing. I have seen a number of Imai Yasuhito's pottery and each is a blend of medieval archetype with a modern sensibility and a very idiosyncratic firing. I can't say you get the full story from a picture of a lid and it's knob but after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

良い、悪いと醜い

I'll start out by saying when it comes to choosing, making and addressing knobs for lids, I am not batting 100%, that being said, I have become aware that fewer get it right than those who get it wrong. With knobs as well as other pots, addressing knobs can seem a bit like; the good, the bad and the ugly; there is no hard and fast rules or science to getting varying pieces parts to work together and lidded pots, like teapots are a good example of that. A good knob should be an extension of the lid and of the pot, it should compliment the overall form as well as preforming a function. Some knobs are organic and seem to just "sprout" from the lid and form and others are intentionally made to look added to the form, yet still are tied in to the pot to create a cohesive presentation.

I began thinking about this the other day after a fellow collector asked me my opinion regarding a Shigaraki mizusashi. The pot was very nice and was exceptionally well fired and by a big name potter but the knob seemed like an after thought and seriously detracted from the overall presentation. If you imagine a somewhat irregularly and organic pot with a small section of pipe like knob sticking out of the lid you can get the picture. It seriously looked out of place on the pot and I wonder what the potter was thinking when he made the lid and knob? I know it is easy to play arm-chair quarterback after a pot is made and recognize my own short comings but the only way to get these details right is to study, look at lots of pots and make even more and always remember the devil is in the details and everything a potter does is the details.

Illustrated is a picture a friend sent me of a very fine Iga mizusashi with the potter who made it; Kojima Kenji. This pot is from a December 2014 exhibition of Kojima-san's pots and it is obvious that the knob is an organic extension of both lid and pot. The knob appears to fulfill its functional requirements while making a visual statement as well, all in all a well conceived and executed mizusashi with a great keshiki and color.

LOCATION

Illustrated is a rather simple, even straight forward guinomi by veteran Iga potter; Kojima Kenji. The piece was thrown with a slight amount of rhythm layered into the surface, a practical foot and the rest was done by knowing where and how to fire the pot, after all, location is king. It may sound simplistic and obvious but each and every pot fired in yakishime style has to have its location and form well thought out prior to and during the loading process. Any well made piece can be fired willy-nilly, but the best show that their placement was thought out as to wrestle the absolute best from both pot and firing. I have seen quite a number of pots by Kojima Kenji and for the majority of his work, it is obvious that each piece, no matter how seemingly insignificance, receives the attention it deserves to be the best it can be and this simple guinomi is no exception. As I reflect on the wood fire potters that I most admire, it is perhaps this quality that is a common denominator that sets apart those who truly understand their kiln and firing and it shows on nearly every pot that they fire.

INKED LUGS

Illustrated is an ink painting of a lugged Iga vase with a small tree branch and calligraphy by noted veteran and "old school" potter; Konishi Heinai II (b.1928). I have written about Konishi before who is well known for his passionate dedication to creating both Raku and Iga pottery, both of which he pursues in a decidedly old style of creation. Melding together older Momoyama and early Edo sensibilities with his personal interpretation of those traditions, his works are exceptionally unique to his own voice and vision. This small format shikishi shows the same individuality as his pottery with crisp and simple brushwork and his brusque style of calligraphy which adorn his boxes as hako-gaki. It is this uniqueness and simplicity of this painting and indeed his pottery that makes Konishi Heinai II so admirable in an age when many have given up on traditional aesthetics and the creation of simple, beautiful pottery.

ANTI-Q

A friend sent me this picture recently and at first glance it looked like an antique Seto pot, turn of the century or a bit older, until I really looked at it. Though I doubt I would have guessed who made it, the brushwork was very familiar.  What is obviously based on old Momoyama style suibokuga, the decoration is an abstracted landscape which speaks of far off places and a very tranquil and calming atmosphere which the form echoes. I marvel at the abbreviated and direct decoration, it speaks of nearly an infinite variety of landscapes and places we all know and love. In its own way,  it is any place we can imagine, painting a grand illusion in its brevity. What ends up being a rather powerful and evocative brush stroke is an excuse to get lost in a myriad of possibilities.

In truth this is not Seto-yaki, rather it is Iga pottery, not the Iga that normally comes to mind, but rather the place it was created and the potter, Banura Shiro, is every bit the Iga potter. Working in styles influenced by much older pottery and the Rimpa tradition, Banura created work that relies on common designs, motifs and decoration, but used in a potent and original manner while making them best fit three dimensional forms, a skill he excelled at. First dipped in a coat of white slip, the iron brushwork is applied, over which an ash based translucent amber glaze is used and the results are quite wonderful. It ends up being a rather earthy pot which exudes charm and at the end of the day, this is one of the most antique modern pots I have seen in some time and this but another skill of Banura Shiro.

"The closest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." John Muir

IGA TEBACHI

The is just something magical about  wood-fired pots and this Iga-yaki tebachi, handled bowl, is certainly not exception. You have to admire the way the slight upgrade in the lip which borders the bowl, acted as a barrier, collecting the ash as it was forced past the pot in the velocity of the fire, pooling to frame the pot in a rich green bidoro. Though the lip acted as a dam, the build up  pushed the ash, cascading into the form creating  streams which pooled in the center and created this glassy surface. Once again the simplicity of the tebachi, belie the experience and engineering that went into the pot, knowing just where to create certain lines and where to put the pot in the kiln. In this case, the experience and know how is from master Iga potter, Kojima Kenji and the simple pot is the culmination of trial and error and a great many years of making pots, studying Ko-Iga and wrestling a degree of control out of the flame which help define these pots as modern day Iga-yaki. Looking at this piece, it is easy to see the poetic nature of the fire, written static on the  pot's surface in dazzling green bidoro.

FROZEN FALLS

For a number of years while living in Plattsburgh, I was involved as a docent and research assistant at the Rockwell Kent Gallery at SUNY, Plattsburgh. I was enamored with Kent's painting/prints and style as well as the adventurous life he led. Among my favorite paintings are his winter landscapes and among those, FROZEN FALLS is my favorite. The balanced vertical element of the frozen falls against the horizontal motion of the clouds just appeals to me on a number of levels. For anyone who has been around dense vertical ice flows, like the one depicted in the painting, the color of the ice is striking and etches itself into your subconscious.

Since the image is copyrighted, if you wish to see the FROZEN FALLS painting, here is a link to it;    

http://clubs.plattsburgh.edu/museum/rkpnt22a.htm

Recently, I was able to handle a striking vase form by Iga master potter, Kishimoto Kennin. What immediately struck me was the resemblance it had to the FROZEN FALLS painting by Kent. The vase, made of wonderful Iga clay, is balanced with areas of hi-iro and the face of the piece displays a running stream of bidoro in its own way, a frozen fall created by the intense fire of an anagama rather than from canvas and oils and a vivid imagination.