AUTHENTICITY

With a dramatic flair and spontaneous and unfaltering movement the surface of this large O-tsubo is brought to life with a practiced and confident hand. Made by the late Hayashi Kotaro (1940-1981) it is quite evident where his younger brother, Shotaro learned the technique of making the most and best of each clay altering cut, facet or mark. Glazed in a rich Oribe, the glaze pools in depressions and tears along the surface creating dark, almost mysterious hues of greens that beckon to the viewer to investigate the depths of the textured surface reading the decoration as it circles of pot. I really love this glaze, it has an authenticity to it, it is simple and original and conjures up thoughts of early Edo Oribe. Despite it feudal presence it is bold and modern though made prior to Hayashi Kotaro's death in 1981, if pushed, it would be hard to say exactly when this pot was made.

ADDED TOUCH

A friend sent me a file filled with Japanese pottery pictures the other day and in it were two pictures of the same chawan that I put together as a single photo. Illustrated is a E-Shino chawan by Hayashi Kotaro (1940-1981), brother and mentor of Hayashi Shotaro and one of the original post-war Mino stand outs. His work is clearly and firmly rooted in the Momoyama revivalist mode and though conservative, it is both fresh and invigorating. The surface and painting are just right for this generous bowl which is accompanied by an added touch of a thoughtful and considerate potter; a wrapping cloth with both painted image and signature to help protect the bowl. There are a number of potters who provided painted or elaborately signed cloths and shikishi (even kakejiku) with some of their best and exhibition pieces and others who do so on the request of a patron or collector or just on a whim. Either way the added touch goes a long way to tell the viewer, "I care about this pot and hopefully, you will as well".

E-SHINO PICTURE SHOW

Though appearing to be a Muji-Shino vase, the subtle iron decoration under the glaze gives away the true identity of this piece as classic E-Shino. Inspired by Momoyama archetypes, this vase has wonderful throwing marks creating a sense of movement and gesture, a skill that Hayashi Shotaro excels at. I had these photos hanging around and decided to build a slideshow to try to impart what this pot looks like in person. Though subtle in many respects, there is a presence to the vase that single photos just can not capture. You can see this vase over at my marketplace by following the attached link;

http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/items/1147898/item1147898store.html#item

SHOTARO IN MOTION @ IPTV

I had completely forgot about this short video I had made of an Aka-Shino chawan that passed through my hands. The chawan is by master Mino potter, Hayashi Shotaro and is a vivid chawan with a tremendously active surface, luscious pure white Shino additions over the red glaze and a great kodai. I admit, the video is not the best quality as it was originally taken in haste, but I have done my best to clear up the image and slow down the frame rate a bit to which I have added one of my favorite musical score, I, ROBOT by The Alan Parsons Project. I hope the video gives you an insight or perspective of what the chawan looks like in person, enjoy IPTV!

O-SARA

In discussing Oribe, many times I think of it as the glazed distant brethren of Iga and Shigaraki ware. In Iga/Shigaraki, though the pot may have a wide array of natural glaze effects from the firing, the clay and basics of the form  are on full display. Oribe has the same distinct quality about it, it has a similar richness and a propensity to run yet the clay underneath the glaze is there to see and enjoy. Each mark of the potter is crisply frozen and safely protected by the barrier of the glaze. Hayashi Shotaro is yet another wonderful Mino potter who creates unique, bold and inspired Oribe pottery. Over the years, first under the tutelage of his brother Hayashi Kotaro, Shotaro has developed a broad vocabulary or forms and clay textures which make full use of the various glazes he uses, especially his Oribe. The direct and aggressive manner in which Hayashi dealt with the clay of this Oribe o-sara is laid bare, except for a layer of his rich glaze that pools and accentuates every mark, depression and the textures that has created this highly gestural piece. This is both modern Oribe and Hayashi Shotaro at its best.

INCOMING IV

After a series of recent emails and a long phone call, I have another stellar group of chawan on the way to sell for a collector. The collector is in the midst of building a house and realized that the best pieces would have to go to help mitigate the money flowing out. There is a reason houses are called money pits! The current plan is that the pots should reach me by the end of next week and then I will get them photographed and posted up on  my Trocadero website;

http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/catalog.html

Please keep your eye on my website for this great group of modern chawan.

The group includes a Hayashi Shotaro Shino chawan with underglaze accents of iron decoration. This is the finest Hayashi chawan I have ever seen, is big and pristine and exhibited and is accompanied with a portfolio sheet of this exact chawan. Next up is a very modern dancing fire, Enbu-Shino chawan by Yamada Kazu. It is extremely striking and part of his most recent works. There is also several chawan by legendary eccentric, Tsukigata Nahiko. All in all, a great group of chawan by extraordinary potters working in the modern Shino/Mino tradition..

Illustrated is  a Shino chawan by modern day master Mino potter, Hayashi Shotaro. Not only is the form and glaze quality exceptional, but the fluid and spontaneous vertical iron decoration gives this pot an extreme sense of upward motion. I am always reluctant to say this as it seems to be over used, but this truly is a masterpiece chawan.

NARUMI-ORIBE

Illustrated is a close-up of a Narumi-Oribe basket form by Mino legend, Hayashi Shotaro (b. 1947).  This pot is an early work of Shotaro and clearly shows the indelible touch and influence of his elder brother and teacher Hayashi Kotaro (1940-1981). Shotaro spent a seven year apprenticeship with his brother before striking out and establishing his own studio/kiln in 1974. This piece demonstrates the traditional ideals passed down from teacher to student and a continuity of style and design shared by brothers.

Oribe ware in general has a whimsical quality to it and this basket is no exception. This practical, yet entertaining form, is a bit unique to Shotaro, though if you look hard enough, I think you will find the shape somewhere in antiquity. The spontaneous and asymmetrical designs  animates and accentuates this form, making for a pleasant visual and functional experience. Though made early in his career, it is obvious that Hayashi Shotaro has a keen grasp of form and surface as passed on from the tradition and his brother's thoughtful and insightful instruction.

"It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition." Henry James (1843-1916)

INCOMING Et Al

After several emails and a couple of phone conversations, it looks like I have another group of pots coming in to find homes for. This time they are from two different collections, but both are parting with the pots for the same reason, refocusing and downsizing the collection. Speaking from personal experience, as a collector, one is always shifting priorities, refocusing on what is of the most interest and needing to part with pots, just because there is a concern for where the heck do you put them all. One collector I know has a very ridgid policy concerning his collecting; “one pot in, one pot out”. It allows him to have a constantly rotating group of pots in a very space conscious environment.

The group that is coming in, or already arrived is as follows;
A stellar Kuro-Raku chawan by Iga & Raku specialist; Konishi Heinai II
Nanban-yaki (Tanegashima) mizusashi by Nakazato Takashi
Museum quality Aka-Shino chawan by living master potter; Hayashi Shotaro
A few other pieces…………

These pieces, and a few others should arrive by the end of next week and hopefully with hit my Trocadero website by Thursday (9/22), please watch for them. Illustrated is the phenomenal, exhibition quality Aka-Shino chawan by Mino tradition master; Hayashi Shotaro.

In other news, with the weekend approaching, we plan various movie nights. I have spent a good portion of my life watching movies of all kinds from the classics, to foreign, to action and everything in between. Being very visually oriented, I consider movies to be an important part of my life. At lunch, my wife suggested a comedy tonight and well, there can only be one answer to that;


For those unfamiliar, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is a comedy masterpiece with an adundance of action, excellent acting, music, comedic timing and superb direction under the helm of Richard Lester. Lester also is responsible for two other favorites of mine; THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE FOUR MUSKETEERS. All three movies are worth a watch if you haven’t seen them or haven’t seen them in a while. Can there be any of life’s simpler pleasures that can beat a great movie, an ice cold Sapporo and fresh Pretz, I think not!