CHA-TSUBO

The maker of this diminutive little cha-tsubo is Kutani-yaki legend, Hasegawa Sojin of Kanazawa perhaps best known for his wispy aspara-like fairies and various naturalistic designs created in a painting technique that he calls Yosai. This particular piece is housed in a box that reads; KUTANI CHA-TSUBO and is more akin to a chaire than it is what one thinks of as a traditional cha-tsubo, tea-leaf container. Thrown out of porclain with a matching lid, the piece is first fired with a clear glaze and then it is painted with overglaze enamels in his particular style and in this case of the wispy, lively aspara style figures floating freely about the base of the piece. Considering the normal atmosphere and formality of enamel painting, there is a casual feel to this piece which makes it very inviting and thoroughly functional whether it is used for matcha or sea salt, it has a place in almost any household. I hope this short slideshow video conveys the sense of playfulness that I had while handling this pot and gives a glint into Hasegawa Sojin's unique Yosai style.

GLASSY GEM

Illustrated is a classic and rather wonderful chaire by Raku and Iga potter, Konishi Heinai.  As with many of these photos, this is not a photo I took or a pot that I handled but I certainly thought it worth sharing as a stellar example of Konishi's work which at first glance almost appears like it was dipped in a glass tank and coated in a beautiful coating of rich bidoro. The form is strong and medieval in appearance with a simple, even subtle design rendered around the pot which is further accentuated by the all natural ash that has covered this chaire. I have seen and handled a number of pots by Konishi Heinai over the years and can say without hesitation this may rank as the finest and my favorite chaire by him that I have seen; the surface is electric and shimmery like a coveted glassy gem which in all likelihood would be hard to play second fiddle to the chawan in use during the tea ceremony. Though this could be considered ever so slightly old school, I believe that pots like this will keep traditions like Iga on the straight and narrow and serve as an archetype into the future in the same way medieval pots served this function for potters like Konishi Heinai in the recent century past.

THE DARK SIDE

I recently spent a little time with this rather nice chaire by arguably, the father of modern Iga, Tanimoto Kosei. The chaire is of a rather sturdy and classic medieval form with a great surface which, like the Moon has a light side and a dark side. The area facing away from the fire has a wonderful, green ash surface with areas of deep pooled effects that add a sense of animation to the pot while the area that faced the fire has a dark, almost ominous surface of dark greys and a shiny black that masks much of the surface in shadows and mystery. I have seen quite a few chaire by Tanimoto Kosei over the years and for me, it is a safe bet this is among the finest I have seen showcasing a great form and even greater surface to create an excellent Iga example. I took quite a few photos of this chaire and put together a short video slideshow to give a sense of what this Tanimoto Kosei Iga chaire offered in person, I hope this gives you the sense of the pot.

TANPAN

Arguably one of the finest Ki-Seto potters of the 20th century, Kagami Shukai (1941-2009) created this little gem of a chaire in his thoughful and classical style. This simple form with natural throwing marks and taunt shoulder is covered in Kagami's unique Ki-Seto glaze with tanpan (tanban, tampan), copper splashes on the on the face and back  and a slight amount of koge, scorching around the bottom third of the piece making this an ideal and crucial part of the tea ceremony. Though seemingly simple in its creation, this chaire is the pinnacle of the art and the result of years of practice and in depth research not only honing his craft but also understanding the historical glaze and forms he pursued; in fact his research into Mino pottery extended to archeological digs and kiln and shard excavations to further his knowledge of the history, clay, glazes and manufacture of Shino, Oribe, Seto-Guro and Ki-Seto in the region. There is little else I can actually say about this wonderful little pot other than stating the obvious, big things do come in small packages and in this case it also packs a tremendous punch on nearly every level.

TANG AGAIN

There is an old misconception that the drink, Tang was invented as a result of the NASA space program but the truth is it was around before manned space flight but its association with NASA certainly made it quite popular and a must have household item. As for this  exhibited Tang influenced Sancai chaire, though it is not necessary a household item it could be a focal point of any tea ceremony most pottery collections.

Made by Kato Kobei VII, son of Ningen Kokuho Kato Takuo, this full and rounded chaire was thrown out of a fine white clay and then glazed in an alkaline based clear glaze with accents of copper and cobalt added to the surface which became droozy and melted down the pot. The fine incised line which circles the pot acts as a strong focal point especially where the rich green and blues become a bit deeper in the recess capturing the eyes attention. Kato Kobei VII comes to this style, inherited from the vast experience, experimentation and interests of his father creating works in the Persian and Tang Sancai styles which bare a resemblance to his teacher but shows a careful and studied approach to the work which defines the pottery of a unique voice in not only form but application, design and decoration. There are few potters carrying on this pursuit and this chaire serves as another brick to shore up this distinct tradition.

SMALL PACKAGE, SMALL POT

On Friday I had a small package arrive from a fellow collector, in it was a nice Shigaraki chaire by Kanzaki Shiho. I assume Kanzaki needs little introduction as he is well known in the West and is a ubiquitous figure on the internet. I took a group of photos and built this short slideshow video to give a sense of what this all natural wood fired chaire looks like in person and hope it helps show the pot with a bit of depth. You can also see a feel images of the chaire over at my Trocadero marketplace;

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1355110/KANZAKI-SHIHO-SHIGARAKI-CHAIRE

HALF & HALF II

I put together a short video slideshow of a chaire by Yamada Masakazu who specializes in wood fired Shino, Oribe and Haiyu glazes. The small lidded chaire is glazed just over the shoulder and the rest of the effects are all natural from the wood firing making for a half and half blend of all natural and applied surface. Appearing feudal in its origins, this pot is a purposefully made chaire ready for use in the tea ceremony or equally at home on a shelf on display; enjoy the video.

You can see more of this chaire over at my Trocadero market place;
http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/catalog/ 

SHOWA-YAKI

There are a lot of books in sets and series that were published in Japan on post-war (Showa era) pottery during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. I really like this era pottery and the pots that were made, there is a strength and honesty to these pieces but that is not to say that pottery of the Heisei era is any less honest or lacks strength, it is just that there seems to be a distinct difference in the pieces of these two eras. Many of the post-war era potters trained the potters of the late Showa and Heisei eras imparting a distinct skillset and sense of tradition which served as the genesis of the pottery of today. As you thumb through these older book sets and dictionaries I am immediately struck by how direct, often stream lined and simple the pots are coming out of the post-war up into the 1980s, I truly enjoy these pots as many seem to have a lot to say without trying hard to do so and are a tremendous blend of  the technical and tradition vision that drives pottery making even to the present day.

Illustrated is an early chaire, circa Showa go-ju yon (1979) by the now veteran Hagi potter, Hatano Zenzo (b.1942). Studying under Yoshiga Taibi (1915-1991), Hatano learned a strict sense of form, glaze and firing from his master and it shows in both his earlier works and his pottery of today. The wheel thrown and crisp form is accentuated by the wonderful blushing and zirconium (?) crystals speckling the surface with a stiff flattened shoulder capped off by the lid. Though over three decades old, the pot is a distinct reminder that the pottery of the Showa era is as fresh as ever.

MOMENTARY RESULTS

Like a lot of the rest of the country, the weather has not been exactly ideal here and there are those times when I am certain I may never see sunshine again and the past two days have been just that. Yesterday we had ice and snow with more ice on top building creating a blanket of crusty ice across the region, but no sun to speak of and today between intermittent icy rain and thick fog the day has been bleak at best until for a brief few moment that sun poked through the clouds and the resulting picture is the momentary result. I grabbed the camera and took the shot just in time for the sun to disappear and then checked to see if the camera captured what my eye had seen and luckily enough it did. Half cloaked in darkness a chaire emerged from the shadows to reveal a wonderful surface of ash with a rich bidoro drip reminding me of an ice coated rock face in the midst of a spring thaw. This particular Shigaraki chaire is by the late kiln and pottery master, Furutani Michio and was made sometime in the first decade of his career. I have made a slideshow of the pot and will put it up at another time but I thought for today, this image would suffice and would make a dreary Wednesday just a bit brighter.

MELTING SNOW II

I would appear that Spring has finally sprung in our neck of the woods. The real tell tale signs of Spring is the incredible melt off and running water that makes its way from the hills in to the river at the center of the valley. When I think of the last throes of Winter only recently departed and the onset of Spring, I am reminded of a fine chaire made by Tsukigata Nahiko. This Oni-Shino chaire shows drifts of snow being cut through by small ravines created by flowing water creating a microcosm that epitomizes the season in my mind. One of the reasons that I admire the Oni-Shino of Tsukigata is the complexity of the surfaces and the endless landscapes and memories that they can conjure.

ANOTHER GEM

What is a gem? The dictionary describes it as follows; 1) a precious or sometimes semi-precious stone cut and polished for ornament 2) something prized especially for great beauty or perfection (excellence) 3) a highly prized or well-beloved person. Can this term, gem really be used as an adequate description of a pot, well I certainly think so but I am admittedly biased. The illustrated piece is in my book a textbook gem, it is a chaire by Tsukigata Nahiko that used to belong to a friend of mine. Though many may consider it Oni-Shino, I would classify it as Ko-Shino where the thin Shino is infused with ash and the shoulder has areas of rich brown textured and the runs are glassy, ending in bidoro. It is a dramatic and poetic pot that is housed in a tea masters signed box with three compartments for the three luxuriant shifuku accompanying the package. Though I am sure what comes to mind for most when speaking about gems is diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies, this is what I think about when someone mentions gems around me.

"There are little gems all around us that can hold glimmers of inspiration."  R. Mead

RULE OF THREE

Up until a couple months ago, I had never had any chaire by Mizuno Takuzo come my way and just recently, a collector sent me two more to help find a new home for. Do chaire follow the "rule of threes"? The first one that came my way was a rather nice Oni-Shino style chaire, the recent two are Aka-Shino and Seto-Guro and I can see why they were collected together as both exhibit very similar characteristics in their presentation. The Aka-Shino piece has a tall and graceful form with two tiny additions to the shoulder with a rich and thick glaze with dark accents around the shoulder and a thick and foamy trail down the face of the pot. The Seto-Guro chaire also has a tall and noble posture accented by a dark, rich and textured surface with mimi-tsuki style additions running down from the shoulder and in both examples there is just enough clay showing to create a nice contrast with the glazed surface. It has been a pleasure to have all three of these chaire in hand to study and for the future, I can only hope the "rule of threes" always applies when it comes to pottery.

A SIGNATURE POT

I have written about Mizuno Takuzo in several previous posts, his work is both visually engaging and functional in its execution, he has a precise sense of appropriateness in relationship to chadogu and its design. This wonderful Oni-Shino chaire is a classic example of his work and the possibilities that he sees within the tradition and the stereotyped vessels used for tea ceremony. The Momoyama influenced piece has an evocative, almost Rimpa style decoration in rich iron slip that once covered in several varying layers of Shino glaze creates a variety of atmospheres that conjure up thoughts of both misty moors and a myriad of tales of ancient Japan. What never disappoints about the work of Mizuno is the unique quality of his glaze with its thick, translucent nature and the fine cells and crawling that appear like a signature of an individual potter, there is a calming nature to his surfaces even when they present rich, complex and even turbulent visions.

You can see more of this chaire by following the provided link to my Trocadero marketplace;

http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/items/1262488/item1262488store.html

GEM LUSTER

Within the numismatic community there is a term that describes the patina of exceptional brilliant uncirculated coins, the term is gem luster. As soon as I saw this wonderful Kato Takuo that is exactly what sprung to mind. The process to creating such a piece appears somewhat simple, the chaire is thrown, bisque and then it has blue underglaze applied and then it is dipped in a low-fire faience style white glaze and fired. Once fired, the ochre based luster is applied, dried and then additional decoration is scratched through the design, sgraffito style. The piece is then refired, again at low temperature though in a reduction atmosphere and presto-chango, Persian luster. Now, I did say the process seemed simple but if you have ever tried it, it is anything but. The ability to create such a fine gem is honed by experience and I am also assuming a fair number of failures prior to getting to this level. Even among the great potters, like Kato Takuo, making pottery and getting the pot from out of your mind's eye is a rocky road paved with trial and error which hopefully leads you to your point of destination and the reward of success.

"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then Success is sure."  Mark Twain

GEM II

A while back I posted a chaire by Oni-Shino pioneer, Tsukigata Nahiko. The previous chaire was a classic Oni-Shino piece with all of the qualities one should think of when thinking about  the style. The illustrated chaire is a bit different, looking a bit like a seated Daruma character from a Zen painting and hardly recognizable as Oni-Shino. The Shino surface is tinged with ash coating the piece creating a beautiful light blue-green surface with the face of the piece painted where fierce scorching and ash built up. One of Tsukigata's true strengths as a potter was understanding his thick, complex surfaces and their effect on form. The choice of form and varying surface and the possibilities was paramount to his work and if you survey his pots, there is an appropriateness that was carefully created, it may also account for why so many pots were destroyed. The very nature of the violent process would create surfaces that did not marry well with their forms and by necessity, they would meet the hammer. This pot is the perfect blend of form and glaze and like the previous chaire, a wonderful miniature universe the fits into a beautiful silk bag.

GEM

Acting like a macrocosm of Oni-Shino, I am made to think of the concept of ko-uchu (miniature universe) while studying this enticing chaire by Tsukigata Nahiko. Though not necessarily a rarity Tsukigata did not leave a tremendous amount of chaire, with chawan and mizusashi outnumbering this particular form, though most of his chaire are expertly created as both functional pot and visual and contemplative treat. The pleasant and full shape of this wonderful gem like pot is enhanced by the use of iron and Shino glazes. It is completed with an accumulation of natural ash produced during the intense wood firing that has left trails of iron infused ash running down this piece. Appearing like a miniature of the myriad of tsubo that he made, this chaire has all of the broad characteristics of what Oni-Shino is all about; from the complex layers composed of rich iron, thick and diaphanous Shino and the addition of running ash, defining the form hidden beneath as canvas yet creating a piece of definition, purpose and startling authority. This chaire, like most of his work is compelling, attracting the viewer to drink in the power of the combination of clay, glaze and fire; such is the power of a good narrative at which Tsukigata Nahiko excelled.

TANG POEM

Simple in design, execution and decoration but regal in its bearing, this Tang dynasty influenced melon shaped chaire exudes a sense of luxury and brings to mind the lyrical poetry of that period . As a combination of his father's work, historical archetypes and his own personal expression, this chaire by Kato Kobei VII is a visual gem. The fluted form has rich aubergine tones that define the form vertically while the whole is cloaked in a soft and tranquil amethyst glaze with accents of a stark yellow and green which calls the eye to this sancai influenced pot. Kato Kobei VII has blended not only Chinese and Japanese elements in this distinctly Japanese pot, but has put his own stamp on the style in the manner in which the elements of this chaire were created. Though an amalgam of time and geography, this pot has a sense of being distinctly ancient and modern at the same moment.

"When Cold Mountain (Han Shan) is cold

Ice seals the rocks

Storing mountain-green

The sun shines forth

The ice melts a while

And on this warmth

An old man survives." (An early Tang Dynasty poem by a mostly anonymous poet)

CARVED CADDY

Over the years I have seen a number of these carved, three piece tea caddies, both simply executed and carved to varying degrees. They seem rather prevalent during the Meiji Period and continue to be carved to this very day. Of all the ones I have seen, this one strikes me as a bit unique being heavily carved over most of the form with deep relief flowers with virtually no damage despite the fragile nature of some of the carving. Carved out of a single piece of wood, the caddy is wrapped, seductively, in flowers and leaves that bring the eye entirely around the form and give a rather pleasant feel when held in the hand. I am not sure as to the utility of these particular tea caddies in formal chanoyu, but as an experiment a while back, I placed loose tea inside and put it up on a shelf for nearly two months and the tea that emerged were still fresh and perfectly usable. The combination of beauty and utility makes the piece that much more special and a wonderful object to enjoy on a shelf or on the table ready for tea.

SEIJAKU

Seijaku is a term/word used in Japanese aesthetics that is part and parcel of the Wabi/Sabi philosophy. In its most fundamental sense, seijaku means "tranquility" or "serenity" and in terms of objects, it is about defining a moment outside of the everyday and being able to contemplate the now in its presence. The illustrated chaire is all about seijaku in my opinion, in viewing the pot, it is possible to escape the modern clutter and focus on the beauty and tranquility of the piece. At first glance the strong and rugged form has a common beauty to it with the ash running down its face mimicking some distant waterfall with the constricted neck/mouth completed with the pure white lid. Despite the almost rustic charm of the piece, there is a certain degree of grace and subtlety that mask the deep complexity of this Iga chaire. Accompanying the chaire are two unsophisticated but noble shifuku made by the potter's wife to go with the piece which is also double boxed. This wonderful Iga chaire was made by the late Shigaraki/Iga potter, Furutani Michio sometime in the mid 1990s. Though small in stature, there is nothing small about this pot and it speaks volumes about the mastery of clay and fire that Furutani Michio had achieved while creating a focal point for the study of Iga-yaki, far into the future.

"Look for knowledge not in books but in things themselves."  William Gilbert

PROVENANCE

Provenance is defined as the origin or source of something, the history of ownership of an object or a valued work of art. The term originates from the French word meaning, "to come from" and that just about sums up what most people desire to know about things, objects that interest them. For many collectors, it seems the provenance adds some legitimacy to the thing and can be of equal importance to the object itself and for others the place where the piece was bought is provenance enough.

I am constantly being asked about or for the provenance of various pots that I post on my blog or that I am selling on my market place at Trocadero. Truth be told, for 95% there is no definitive provenance, someone bought a pot from someone who had bought a pot from someone else or from an auction, flea market, estate sale, tag sale, antique show or another internet website. Basically it boils down to the provenance being somewhat illusive and murky as the pot makes it circuitous route from its place of origin in Japan or Ottawa, the point of origin is about the only  absolute in the equations. Not to lessen the value of modern pots, but let's face it, we aren't dealing with Faberge eggs or Picasso paintings. For those "collectibles" I can understand and even rationalize the insistence on a concrete provenance, with most pots though the best that can be attached to the pot is a guarantee that the particular pot is genuine. 

As I have mentioned previously on my blog, playing detective is a useful skill when trying to track down the sometimes illusive history and provenance of a pot. The large Kohyama mentori vase is a good example where a certain part of the history has been discovered, but the time in between the exhibit in which the pot was photographed and its current residence, over two decades, remains in the shadows. I will concede that having photos from exhibitions like that or pots included in catalogues is about the best, sure fire provenance for most modern pots, excluding of course, exceptionally famous and important pieces. Illustrated is a very fine wood fired Yohen-Shino chaire photographed in front of a picture of itself from an exhibit catalogue, much like a mirror image. The chaire is by Shimaoka Tatsuzo student, Matsuzaki Ken and was fired in his large new wood kiln. The pot was first glazed in a thin wash of Shino which he swiped thick Shino over. The shoulder attracted ash and the introduction of large amounts of charcoal into the kiln created a rich reduction atmosphere which further affected the surface leading to areas of iridescence on the shoulder; the pure white ivory lid just adds a punctuation to the piece. At the end of the day, the picture of the chaire in front of the catalogue definitely defines its origin, but the mystery still remains; what was this piece up to between then and now?