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.

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

MUKOZUKE

Illustrated is a rather involved set of Ki-Seto mukozuke by Iga potter Banura Shiro. Made to imitate teoke, handled buckets, each mukozuke has a thin coat of glaze that accentuates the form, simple incised decoration and is accented with copper. The glaze has run slightly, helping to emphasize the height of each piece and animating the rather strict, almost formal forms. One can just imagine them dominating a table, almost standing guard among an array of small plates, bowls and cups on a table. Though rather conventional in execution, Banura has made this form his own through his simple execution of the idea, design and surface decoration; the loose manner in which the lip is cut on the interior is a wonderful counterpoint to the lines of the exterior of the pieces and breaks up the forms in a way that Banura Shiro is quite adept at managing. In the end, these mukozuke have been transformed from formal to playful with little more that a knife cut and a quick dip in a bucket of glaze.

PRUNUS MUME

Illustrated is a very simple and noble hexagonal mizusashi by Iga potter; Banura Shiro (1941-2001). This mizusashi is presented with two faces that alter the vision of the piece rather dramatically, one with a ceramic lid and the other with a lacquer lid. The simple ash glaze over a fluid underglaze decoration of a plum blossom tree and plum blossoms compliments the form and the varying lids adds to the versatility of the piece. The stark simplicity of the design and hexagonal form was part of Banura’s ongoing investigation into the relationship between pottery and painted design as he sought to add to the modern day Rimpa tradition of pottery. Using Ogata Kenzan as a foundation, Banura, along with several painters who painted on his pottery, had succeeded in adding to a long standing tradition that continues to this day.

SILVER LEAVES

Illustrated is another chawan by Iga potter Banura Shiro. I have written about him in prior posts, so I will skip the biographical details. This tantalizing kuro-wan, black bowl, has Banura’s trademark black textural glaze over a redish clay body. After the chawan was glaze fired, it was rubbed with a gold (gilt) wash over the black which is barely noticeable accept in the right light. He then painted silver(ginji) leaves over the surface which accentuates the broad base and tapering form. As I look at this chawan, it reminds me of looking at the far off Fujiyama through sparse foliage. The concept and evocative form harken back to the ceramic pieces of the Rimpa masters and shows homage to Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743), the founder of this style.

BANURA SHIRO FOLIAGE MIZUSASHI

I came across this photo the other day and immediately knew it was a pot by Banura Shiro. This mizusashi is tall and has a graceful form that plays host to his Rimpa inspired decoration of iron, overglaze gold and silver foliage accentuating the vertical quality of the piece which is punctuated by a spire like finial knob on the lid.

I am always impressed with the wide array of forms Banura is known for and how adeptly he tailors his designs to a wide variety of work, from jar to hachi to chawan. There are a number of potters whose works are (or were) inspired by the Rimpa school, but I think Banura Shiro has added a modern edge to an age old tradition made famous by Ogata Korin (1657-1716) and his brother, the potter, Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743).

Banura Shiro Deuxieme Partie

The “fall bowl” post got me thinking more about Banura Shiro and I remembered a picture of a set I had handled and photographed. The set is a Hagi gohonde style serving bowl and set of mokozuke, all decorated en suite in varying tones of iron on slip and under an ash glaze. The surface is rich with spotting caused by the slip under the glaze and activates the form even more. The potting on these bowls is wonderful and one can easily image using them. Having seen and handled a number of his works, I am always amazed at how deceptively simple and honest his pots are.

Banura Shiro was from Iga prefecture and studied with Kawamura Kitaro before setting up his own studio. He had his first major exhibit at Nihonbashi Takashimiya in 1972. Exceptionally proficient at glazes and firing he worked with a wide variety of clays, glazes, underglazes and overglaze techniques and was very fond of “old style” under and over glaze brushwork and designs.

Perhaps his best known and most famous works are the collaborative pots and platters he made and his brother-in-law, Matazo Kayama decorated using techniques and technology developed by Banura. Kayama made majestic and sweeping designs heavily influenced by the Nihon-ga tradition he came from. A masterpiece can be seen in the Madame Kikuchi collection catalogue; JAPANESE CERAMICS TODAY. It is a large platter, over 51cm and depicts a mikazaki crescent moon over breaking waves.

Besides adding to the Rimpa tradition, Banura had several noteworthy apprentices, including Yasuda Michio (b. 1949) who carries on the pottery Rimpa style and Yoshitaka Hasu (b. 1949) who specializes in unique Iga anagama fired pottery with iron glaze additions.

(Used with the permission of a private collector)