INK & OXIDE

I am constantly on the lookout for good source materials regarding modern Japanese pottery from the post-war era to modern times; catalogues, magazines, brochures, books, all are welcome provided they fall within a range of potters, style and traditions that interest me. I recently received a very fine, Japanese bound catalogue from the late 60s on the potter Kawai Takeichi and as a bonus to all of the wonderful color illustrations there is a photo of his ink designs every couple of pages meant to compliment the oxide decoration on any given pot. Illustrated is a photo of one on Takeichi's classic which would have been placed on a molded plate form though the central elements of the decoration is also seen on more three dimensional pieces like jars and vases. There are a dozen of these ink design sketches, some next to the design on a ceramic piece but seeing design and pot together gives a sense of the careful and thoughtful consideration that a potter must give to skillfully blend form and surface decoration, a skill that Kawai Takeichi learned under the guidance of his master to which he put to the fullest and most eye pleasing manner.

IMPRIMO

Of very simple design, execution and glazing, adroitly thrown and a constant reminder of what it is that makes Kawai school mingei work both popular and significant, this chawan was made by Kawai Takeichi (Bu'ichi). Using a slightly coarse clay as seen in the rough quality around the foot there is a texture created by a piece of chamois dragged on the surface while still throwing the wet clay, the impressed design was added a bit later using a turning roulette creating this effective and tactile decoration. For Kawai Kanjiro and his students and followers, the pots were kept simple, the superfluous is both unnecessary and unwanted, the "beauty born of use" a motto that helped create these pots where it is more about form and function than the concept of beauty for beauty's sake and Kawai Takeichi has left quite a body of work that typifies these qualities. Once decorated this chawan was glazed over in a single ame-yu, amber glaze which highlights the piece and allows the various throwing effects and tooling to show through giving the user an understanding of how the pot was made. I am a huge fan of pots like these; stripped of ego, purposeful, functional and certainly without pretense, this chawan could have been made in 1780 or 1980 with only the box and bio to tell us otherwise.

MUKUNOKI BLUE

Composed of what appears to be three distinct components, this rich gosu hakeme henko was made by Mukunoki Eizo using a construction technique and surface decoration he learned from his master Kawai Kanjiro. The interesting thing about this particular henko form is that the middle and top components  are made in one mold and the bottom in another, this has afforded Mukunoki the ability to create a number of forms using several separate molds and assembling them in various ways. The last two pieces of this type that I saw, the first was glazed in a rich temmoku  with splashes of tessha and the henko was only the middle and top components and the other had a split, notched foot pedestal as the bottom of the piece which was glazed in a shinsha copper red over some slip trailing around the large central portion of the pot. This henko has been decorated in a thick coat of white slip, hakeme style around the entire surface that once glazed in his own version of the Kawai-den gosu creates a rather active and captivating landscape. It may sound a bit simplistic but how can you go wrong with white slip and a Kawai school gosu?

"The aspect of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity."   Ludwig Wittgenstein ( 1889-1951)

SPLASH

Since I posted the Mukunoki Eizo (Shunsui) henko up last week I though about putting up a piece that shows the great diversity of the potter while high lighting his adherence to the Kawai-mon and thought this temmoku and tessha tsubo would do the trick. Cutting a rather robust and study form this tsubo has that classic Kawai school presence, ruggedly thrown and with four purposeful attached lugs the rich temmoku glaze is decorated and punctuated with splashes of an iron rich tessha glaze harkening back to the works of Kawai Kanjiro. I really enjoy the folky and utilitarian qualities of this pot which demands to be used and admired, truly a blend of the Kawai and mingei aesthetics from foot to lip.

"The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and the spider web." Edwin Way Teale (1899-1980)

AME-YU HENKO

Illustrated is a rich ame-yu glazed henko by the last pupil of Kawai Kanjiro, Mukunoki Eizo. The molded stoneware bottle has a casual, decorative slip trailed design that though influenced by his master is readily identifiable as the work of Eizo and is clearly marked on the base to avoid even a passing confusion. Mukunoki, who has changed his name to Shunsui, was born in 1943 and spent  time as Kawai Kanjiro's last full time student from 1958-1966 and along with his master's guidance he was also taught by Kawai Takeichi adding to his education. This molded bottle form is a classic staple of the Kawai-mon style and has a solid and purposeful form with bordered panels creating four interconnected but different planes; the glaze has a certain depth and in person it absorbs color and light from where ever it is displayed making for a ever changing presence.

UTILITARIAN ELEGANCE

Illustrated is a rather simple and practical gosu glazed covered serving bowl by Kawai Takeichi. As one would expect, having spent a long while under the tutelage of Kawai Kanjiro, this piece based in total function has a utilitarian elegance in both design and execution. The knob was made to both compliment the form/lid as well as to be easy to grasp and pleasant to the eye, the flange around the area where the lid sits serves as an area that fits the hand well as a built in handle all around the form. It is these conscious and unconscious developments that are seen in many Kawai school pots that create a distinct look which is easily identifiable as the works of the master and his students. There is an undisputed brilliance to the forms and surfaces of Kawai Kanjiro which he passed on to his students by sheer fact that they were surrounded by his work, both finished and in progress; a great student, sees the work and has most of his questions answered for him of which Kawai Takeichi was certainly among the most accomplished.

KAWAI STYLE

There are times when Kawai Kanjiro and his students create pieces that are as much about the truth of form as anything else. When these pieces are simply glazed with minimal decoration they speak about the essence and basics of pottery that is the Kawai tradition. Perhaps it was his long exposure and proximity to the master, but the works of Kawai Takeichi best carry on the tradition of Kanjiro without being copies or clones of his teacher. Illustrated is a well proportioned chawan by Kawai Takeichi; the bowl sits wonderfully perched atop a characteristic Kawai school foot. The classic form is decorated in a rich, yet simple banding of a tessha iron glaze which has run ever so slightly adding movement and interest to the form. It is a simple bowl made of simple clay and with simple decoration but the reality is that it is anything but simple and presents the Kawai style at its very core.

INCOMING

I have been around pottery for quite a while now and in that time have met a number of potters and collectors who have graciously shared pots, information and ideas. Among those interested in pots, I have been extremely fortunate to know a number of dedicated and longtime pottery collectors who have been very open to sharing access to their collections. Our first real contact with a pottery collector was in Cleveland when I had just started making pottery. It was rather interesting being able to handle and examine everything from Momoyama Shino ware, a sancai style Betty Woodman pillow pitcher, a nice collection of Beatrice Wood and Laura Andresen, an extensive collection of American studio pottery including many museum quality Grueby and Rookwood pieces as well as a large array of American, British and Japanese pots by modern studio potters. To this day, I carry on long distance relationships with a number of these collectors.

In the past hand full of years, I have also been able to help some of these collectors downsize, refocus or sell off their collection because of my Trocadero website. Many of the collectors are now retiring and moving to smaller accommodations or even out of country. Some other collectors are refocusing their collections and moving into different collecting avenues, so some pots must go. A friend of mine is just such a collector. Having started collecting only a few years ago, at first, he was collecting pots that appealed to him at the time and were good pots. Recently while collecting, he hit on a particular strategy and focus for his collection and decided that he would part with pots that didn’t fall within these refocused parameters.

Fast forward to last week and this week, with on UPS box already arrived and two on the way, in comes another small collection to help find new homes for. This grouping consists of primarily traditional tea wares, including a work by a Ningen Kokuho and a Prefectural Living Treasure.

The following is a list of pots coming in that I will post on Trocadero over the next week;

Suzuki Goro Yashichida Oribe Chawan (Sold)
Miwa Kyuwa X Hagi Lg. Plate
Yoshiga Taibi Hagi Chawan
Takahara Shoji Bizen Chaire
Kawai Takeichi Tessha Chawan (one of the finest I have ever seen)
Sakai Kobu Shino Chawan
Kamiya Eisuke Yohen Tetsu-yu Chawan
Ishii Takahiro Oribe Summer Chawan

Illustrated is a detail of the inside of the yohen-tetsuyu chawan by Kamiya Eisuke. There are a variety of effects ranging from streaking hare’s fur to radiant iron crystals.