FRACTURED ICE

What a wondrous thing that glazes can be, whether they are naturally occurring or composed like some alchemists symphony, the possibility and effects are endless. When I really think about glazes is that they have the distinct possibility to present defined galaxies within their surfaces painting ominous and somber realms to those of great visual intensity as if a sun has gone supernova within them. Though there are a great number of stellar pots that bare no glaze and submit to the viewer as naked form, there are an equal number that are only completed with the addition of glaze and decoration adding depth and profundity to the canvas that is clay. Illustrated is a close up of a rich and evocative kannyu style seiji glaze that almost radiates the cold like the fractured ice that it seemingly imitates. I find these cracked and fractured surfaces to be mysterious and compelling leading me along in a narrative that the potter, clay and glazes has created. In this case, this detail shot is of a tall and elegant bottle-vase made by Minegishi Seiko only a few years ago of tapering form with lobes running vertically accentuating the stature of the piece and the glaze which descends into the depression; a perfect meld of the Chinese archetype and the Japanese interpretation. More images to follow.

CRACKED

There is a quiet and grace to celadon which is not lost on potters who makes pieces that are best suited with seiji glazes; simple and streamlined forms with accents only where called for. Starting life as a thrown round bowl form and then ovaled, this seiji mizusashi has a beautiful, cracked, double refractive surface which clings to the thoughtfully thrown vessel where the slight undulations to the pot are accentuated by the surface. The mizusashi is then completed with a custom made black lacquer lid which compliments the form to the fullest creating an eye catching work that takes decades of experience to carry off.

This functional and simple tea piece was made by Kyoto native Kimura Nobuyuki (b.1965) who studied with his father, Kimura Morinobu one of the Kimura San- Mori; Kimura Morikazu, Moriyasu and Morinobu. Nobuyuki set up his own pottery studio/kiln in Shiga prefecture in 1992 and has had a rather busy career winning numerous awards with frequent exhibitions through out Japan. His work is predominantly seiji pottery with a variety of glazes that run from light elegant blues, rich greens, yellows and even pinkish lavender pieces all the while keeping in mind what forms are best for this deceptively simple glaze with a dash of complexity thrown in to keep the potter on their toes.

RANGE IN MOTION

A while back I wrote a blog post entitled; GONE YESTERDAY, HERE TODAY, which chronicled (!) the sheer coincidence in making two posts about two very different pots and in a rather short period of time we were able to collect one exceptionally similar pot and in the other case, the exact pot we wrote about. I put together this short video slideshow to try to give a fuller depth and dimension to the piece because in hand it is just wonderful. The glaze surface is cool and smooth while the heavily crazed surface adds a sense of intensity, warmth and conflict to the bowl while the iron and underglaze red flower adds the tranquil element which both ties in the opposing elements and draws the eye in to the rather harmonious whole. Enjoy the slideshow and thoughts and comments are always welcome.

完璧

I'll start out by saying this is obviously not my photo, having found it somewhere on the web some time ago. I stumbled upon it this morning and was just awe-struck by the absolute serene beauty of this tiny pot. Created by celadon expert, Kawase Shinobu, this chaire is about as wonderful a seiji piece that I have ever seen, the glaze, fluting, detailing and lid all work in conjunction with one another to come up with a quiet and resonant perfection (完璧 ). It will sound repititious and cliche to remind one's self that celadon creation is a pursuit of the determined, persistant and patient with a large percentage of work finding its way to the shard piles but despite the odds, Kawase manages to continue to captivate and humble the viewer decade after decade. I have seen a lot of seiji, seihakuji and the various color and textural variations of celadon but very few have the ability to create works that are as celadon to the core as does Kawase Shinobu and this little gem is a perfect example.

"One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent."  Epictetus

 

 

 

KANNYU

Illustrated is a modern classic beishokuji kannyu vase by celadon master; Minegishi Seiko (b.1952). The details around the mouth and waist of the form accentuate the double refractive quality of the glaze with the yellow-brown tone being enhanced by the iron rich clay the pot was thrown from. Minegishi Seiko  considers himself largely self-taught and his early work is a wonderfully elegant kohiki style heavily influenced by Korean pottery and though he continues to use some of his earlier forms, his more modern celadon work is literally night and day from his first footsteps in to pottery. This celadon vase was made in Nasu where he has his studio and kiln, located in Tochigi Prefecture and the center of his creation and constant experimentation in glaze making, forms and surface decoration. Though Minegishi is very well known for his unique shinogi (ridgeline) technique that is just masterful with the kannyu style glazes, it is the depth and beauty of his calmer forms that transcend his pots into a world of contemplation and reflection, painting a fractal universe in three dimensions.

SEIJI FRAMEWORK

Illustrated is another piece by Seiji specialist, Suzuki Sansei. Built by hand, this pot is another example of Suzuki's exceptional skill and precision glazing.  A large and imposing form, the tsubo has a wonderfully serene surface with several iron tinged craze lines breaking up the perfection of the surface. The form is further accentuated by thinning the glaze along the high points, ridges and boundaries of the piece giving it a taunt framework that encompasses the fullness of the form and the richness of the glaze. The visual dichotomy between the perfect and the irregular, makes Suzuki's pot an excellent vessel for a prolonged and lively dialogue.

COOL BLUE MONDAY

Based on Longquan glazes developed in China during the Sung Dynasty (1127-1297), celadon glazes have played an important role in the pottery of Japan especially during the studio movement of the Meiji Period. Indirectly, Suzuki Sansei (b. 1936) is related to that movement through his master Kawamura Seizan (1890-1967) who served as a bridge between the old and the contemporary. Through his study with Kawamura, Suzuki Sansei learned the skills and technology of modern celadon along with an array of other techniques, though he choose to dedicate his work to the cool blue seiji glazes on porcelain which he is best known for. Illustrated is a classic example of pottery by Suzuki Sansei, most likely made in the mid-1990's. The form is glazed in a pale blue seiji, almost robin's egg in color, which along with a few accentuated craze lines paints a noble picture of a simple and elegant pot finished off with a loop handle that mimics the overall form. Though richly influenced by Chinese pottery, this mizusashi has its roots clearly in  Japan that goes back at least as far as the Edo Period. Suzuki Sansei has done an exceptional job of infusing the pot with the best of the past to create a thoroughly modern piece.