MOBIUS LOOP

Reminding me a bit of a Mobius loop, this undulating form was captured in clay by Bizen master, Kakurezaki Ryuichi. Creating forms that are on the edge of what clay can do and their physical limitations due to gravity and other pertinent laws of physics, Kakurezaki captures strength, power, mobility and often times grace in his pots that few can duplicate. This elegant and looping chawan appears to be in perpetual motion and is blanketed in a soft, velvety surface of ash that helps accentuate the bowl. Using decades of experience and his mastery of clay, Kakurezaki creates pots that combine elements of contemplation, poetry and nobility and fires them with the attention a painter brings to his canvas, I think this simple and lyrical chawan proves my point.

BEIN' GREEN

Illustrated is a square  and squat formed Oribe kogo by Ishii Takahiro. Like the chaire I posted previously it is part of a tea set for chanoyu that includes the chawan, mizusashi, chaire, kogo and futaoki which all have a similar style of glazing to tie the pieces together. The kogo shows a rich clay flavor and texture that peaks out from behind areas of Ishii's Oribe glaze making for a very interesting landscape and the unglazed knob springs out from the nearly black, frosted top of the piece adding yet another dimension to the small and intimate pot. The eight sided form has just enough faceted texture to provoke the glaze to vary which makes this simple kogo interesting and different from a variety of vantage points. Bein' green isn't so bad after all.

"You see with your eyes. You know with your heart." Jim Henson (1936-1990)

JUST PLUCKED

I remember back when I first read the book, PLAYFULNESS IN JAPANESE ART by Nobuo Tsuji, he discussed the purposefully altered, distressed and distorted vessels used for tea ceremony as "warped and comical". At the time I took this at face value and thought of all of the art of Japan that was playful, much with undercurrents of tremendous insight to reflect a counterpoint to the violent and chaotic times that a great number of these masterpieces were created. The simplicity and whimsy ran opposite to the age and nature of the times and the tea ceremony  served as a brief respite from the "real world"; reflection and clarity could be enhanced by the audacity and humor hidden in the art of the time. Among the real playful plastic arts of the time was the various works of Oribe-yaki where many of the design and forms seem nonsensical but upon a deeper examination there is quite a bit more to be seen and enjoyed in these spirited and whimsical creations.

Like a fat, ripe fruit just plucked from a branch, this small Oribe chaire clearly displays what Oribe is all about. Part of a complete tea set which includes chawan, mizusashi, chaire, kogo and futaoki, this modern Oribe chaire is by Ishii Takehiro, an apprentice of the Bizen master Kakurezaki Ryuichi. Reaching into the origins of Oribe, Ishii has created a chaire that is both spirited while being somewhat light hearted as not to take itself too seriously. As a singular element it is engaging and as part of a larger set it has enough presence as to not get lost in the maddening crowd.

VIRTUOSO

Since we were on the subject of wood fired, this particular chawan is woodfired². Dominating the field of Bizen ware, Kakurezaki Ryuichi has blazed a trail that connects the old to the new and as such, has influenced a whole generation of Bizen potters. This Kuro-Bizen, black Bizen chawan shows the contemplative aggression that he is known for, creating angles, cuts, facets and deliberate planes that catch and deflect the ash circulating around his nobori-gama kiln. There is a virtuoso's blend of formula and improvisation in Kakurezaki's works, repeating forms more in theory than in actuality, each is unique even before it goes in to the kiln.  

Through a combination of experience, determination and serendipity, this chawan shows the (creative) aggression of both potter and fire to its fullest. Dipped in a black engobe, the bowl faced the flames and ferocity of the firing and has survived to tell its tale of how it was created and how it was fired. The long tamadare tendrils licking back from the face of the bowl and the black surface wet with ash, have long since melted and fused to near perfection on this masterwork by Kakurezaki. With trial and error, Kakurezaki is constantly on the move forward, cutting his way into brave new ground for Bizen-yaki and in fact, modern Japanese ceramics.

(Photo provided and used with the permission of a private collector.)

CU DIVERSITY

Illustrated is a close-up of the interior of an Oribe Mizusashi by Kakurezaki Ryuichi apprentice; Ishii Takahiro. The interior, truly highlights the rich diversity that a copper glaze, in this case an Oribe, is capable of. Though only one glaze, as the glaze matured and pooled into the bottom of the interior, it has gone from a rich, translucent grassy green to  an opaque boundary of blue-green  with black spots being formed by the build up of  high concentrations of copper forming black metallic crystals. The opaque blue-green has also created an effect reminiscent of pine-needles floating about the surface. In terms of any Oribe glaze, I don't think you could have asked for more diversity and testament to the possibilities of using copper.

For anyone interested in learning more about the elements, I would suggest watching this short video.

KAKUREZAKI RYUICHI

There has been much written about Kakurezaki Ryuichi (b. 1950), so I will skip most of the details. He studied with Isezaki Jun, current Juyo Mukei Bunkazai for Bizen-yaki and set off to establish his own kiln in 1985. Many consider this move to have ushered in what is now referred to as Heisei Bizen (the Heisei era started in 1989). Though Kakurezaki’s pottery is decidedly Bizen in tradition, style and firing, his works are unlike any other Bizen potter. His works challenge the concepts of classical and traditional form and it is really not easy to put Kakurezaki’s work within the Bizen tradition.

By looking at this chawan, it would seem that Kakurezaki has an intuitive geometrical formula running through his being. Many of his forms, this chawan included, shows a wonderful sense of proportion and planes and angles that work so well with how he fires his kiln. His works play with visual geometry and challenge the concepts of classical and traditional form. When you combine his constructed vocabulary with his unique approach to firing, it is easy to see why his works can easily be picked out of a crowd.

The illustrated chawan is an excellent example of his intense and successful firing technique together with his broad planes that are accentuated by the running ash. The kodai is cleverly cut to address the issue of geometry and in this case, mimics the form of the bowl. No matter how you look at it, this is a cutting edge and dynamic chawan.