TWICE ENCOUNTERED

I first encountered this chawan quite a few years back, perhaps the very early 90s at the home of Dr. Fred Baekeland where it was part of about 20 pieces that he had pulled out for us to look at and possibly buy. Since Shino was one of our first true loves, when we left we ended up with a slide and Polaroid of the chawan and thought about it on and off for some time but never seemed to be at the right place and time to acquire it. Fast forward to the burgeoning age of the internet and a  second chance encounter with the very same chawan almost a decade later and astronomically less expensive, needless to say that we purchased it. I should say that Dr. Baekeland's original stamp of approval certainly helped and what we knew at the time that it was purchased out of an exhibition in Gifu the same year that we say it so it really didn't take a lot of convincing to bid.

Made by Mino traditional potter, Kawai Takehiko (b.1940) this chawan is a simple exercise in putting together a Momoyama ideal with a fresh and honest dose of a potter's vision where the straight sided form is interrupted by vivid and animated throwing lines that is a perfect foil for its glaze texture and coloration.  Though not a chawan you may classify as adventurous or necessarily breaking from tradition, this bowl has that sense of being a distillation of all the invaluable and difficult work of the 20th century pioneers that brought Shino back to its rightful place in the hierarchy of chadogu and modern pottery in general. Big, bold, practical and functional best describe this chawan in hand where despite its simplicity or perhaps because of it, this piece sits well in the hand and with the eye, it is so pleasing because it doesn't try too hard and gets all the fundamentals just about right and I think that is about all you can ask for out of two pounds of clay, a few ounces of glaze materials and a few thousand degrees of temperature.

DNA

The box that accompanies this chawan is simply marked, SHINO CHAWAN which in truth is a faithful description that leaves out some of the details that one can clearly see with just a simple glance. Thrown out of a fine clay this bowl has that classic Shino sense to it, part Momoyama and part modern in its DNA but it is also clearly recognizable as a chawan by Tsukigata Nahiko. Though I see those influences, including a dash of Arakawa Toyozo in the shape, posture and lip, I also clearly see that this is a near textbook "plain" Shino chawan by Tsukigata. 

Making wonderful use of the marriage of shape and surface this chawan was carefully manipulated to create a more dramatic effect and just the right amount of movement that brings a pot to life. I find this chawan pleasing to the eye and hand with a soft, blushed color that in some respects reminds me of a winter trying to hang on while the spring is in a hurry to take over. It is hard not to enjoy the narratives that Tsukigata paints on the surface of his pots substituting clay, glaze and fire for oils and canvas, either way, it paints a rich portrait that brings more depth of meaning to such a simple teabowl.

INSTAGRAM

Though I doubt it will matter in the scheme of things the way the world is going at the moment, but I decided that if Instagram is good for over one billion people, what the heck, maybe I should give it a test run. Like my blog which has just sort of evolved and has stayed true to the disclaimer regarding its rambling nature, I suspect that Instagram will just sort of happen and reflect perhaps a broader sense of things that I see, hear and watch. In the course of an average day, I do end up taking pictures that I rarely know what to do with, some have to do with all the wildlife that makes its way through or resides on our property, while other are pottery pictures and quite a few detail photos of all kinds of things here and about. Like the blog where I ramble on about whatever comes to mind, this venture is more about dragging myself into the moment and doing so mostly in a photo or video and a simple caption. I am not sure where to go with this platform but thought it worth giving it a try and of social media in general I am reminded of a famous TS Elliot quote; "Distracted from distraction by distraction" and since I am easily distracted, I hope I can do my best to do just that.

Up from the depths is a combination of two of my favorite things; Shino and Godzilla. What's not to enjoy? 

https://www.instagram.com/albedo3studio/

NOW IS THEN; SHINO AND THE OLD MAN

Illustrated is a screen capture for a wonderful old Japanese documentary that I found about Arakawa Toyozo. The fact that this is subtitled is certainly a bonus but seeing footage of perhaps one of the most famous potters of the 20th Century gives one a great insight into a way with Shino. This documentary was made circa 1968 by documentary film maker/ director; Matsukawa Yasuo (1931-2006) and is known by its Japanese title, IMA WA MUKANSHI SHINO TO OKINA. I don't want to say that such videos are rare but they are not seen frequently enough outside of Japan and any insight in to the nature of a master's work is certainly not to be overlooked.

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. All is a riddle, and the key to a riddle is another riddle."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

FUJI-SAN II

I recently had an email exchange with a fellow collector and at some point, he mentioned a Fujisan chawan that he admired but had missed out on. I have not seen the piece but from past experience, it is rather difficult to orchestrate the Fuji-san motif well so that it articulates appropriately with the bowl form. I am certainly not saying it can not be done as there are quite a few chawan decorated with Fuji that work quite well. This reminded me of a Wakao Toshisada Shino chawan that I have on the hard drive of just such a bowl with exactly that motif and to my eye, it works exceptionally well. This chawan has a sprawling scene of Fuji-san that covers the entire face of the chawan in a variety of colors and technique creating a powerful image which fits the form so well as if the two are absolutely inseperable. Wakao Toshisada created an image that is reminescent of many a great Edo period painting with hints of the great Rimpa and Nihonga masters in this work presenting a powerful and three dimensional painting on a classic and timeless chawan made by a master at the very top of his craft.

WALL SPACE

Measuring in at just about 22" across, this handmade cryptomeria wood panel and large tile look wonderful over a doorway. The large tile is made of a dense stoneware clay and was then decorated using iron slip and a thin layer of Shino glaze to create this panel which read, NO (the second kanji from the word Shino) despite having a slight enso feel to it. Tsukigata Nahiko made quite a number of these calligraphic tiles and I have seen a lot of them in this style of traditional wood mounts made from cryptomeria japonica cypress with the tansu or screen style hardware around the corners, there is also a number of more free from, all natural frames in which a square recess was cut out to accommodate the tile. What I can say about these tiles is that they have a tremendous amount of intensity to them and the tile is solid, having real substantive weight which when balanced out with the lighter weight cypress frame makes the piece manageable and easy to hang. All you need to do is find the right place to hang it despite the lack of the precious commodity of wall space and enjoy!

JUST THE BEGINNING

Illustrated is a rather simple, functional  and direct Shino chawan that is as much about the beginning as it is anything else. This robust Shino chawan was made by Tsukigata Nahiko sometime during the early 1960s and is the earliest teabowl by him that I have ever seen and the bottom of the box has a large archaic looking red seal stamped on it that looks like something out of the middle ages. Thrown out of a familiar looking clay, the body was first dipped in an iron slip and then a Shino glaze and where his fingers held the bowl, rich red patches punctuate the surface along with areas where the slip has worked its way through the glaze to create a sense of chaos and reaction. The shape of the bowl is a bit conservative but if you look carefully you can see what will become the more classic Tsukigata foot and the space he uses at the base, lift of the pot and the shadow line all give hints as to where they will evolve. Though this was just the beginning for Tsukigata Nahiko, he could have easily been content with marrying the styles of Momoyama and his master but he set about an arduous and determined route and found his way to the path of where demon Shino and the ferocity of the flame meet head on.

PERSPECTIVE

perspective; pər-ˈspek-tiv, the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance

Every now and again my wife will look at a pot up on my blog and tell me that I need to add something to help define the size and volume of a pot. On eBay I have seen pop cans, cigarette lighters and packs, dollar bills and a host of other daily objects but I just don't find my way to using these objects, I would rather let the photo imply the size and let the viewer work out the mental math and imagery. In my years of making pots, loading kilns and making commissions I think I have become rather adept at understanding volume in the abstract until every once and a while a pot will show up that just defies the actual dimensions and the scale and volume catch me off guard.

Illustrated is a pot, well actually two pots that arrived here within a few days of each other by sheer happenstance and an example of not being fully prepared for the size of a piece. What you are looking at is a good size Shino chawan over 13cm across by Matsuzaki Ken inside a rather large Shino O-tsubo by the same potter which I thought may illustrate the point of perspective. The chawan was carefully placed inside the o-tsubo which are both glazed in the same fashion, a thin coat of Shino with a much thick, viscous layer of Shino being applied with the potter's hand and raked and in the doing leaving swaths of almost pure white in his wake. The two pots from different sources were both wood fired and have areas of various other effects across the surface including rich, iridescent yohen and ash dusted about the surfaces and interior of the chawan. The other interesting thing about these pieces is that both of them were bought out of exhibitions in Japan and are both illustrated in the accompanying catalogues. Maybe my wife is right, sometimes using the right object to show scale and volume is exactly what is called for.

CLAY & INK

In looking at this E-Shino chawan and drawing rendered on the interior of the storage box lid I think it is easy to see the influence of Arakawa Toyozo in both clay and ink. This chawan was made by long time Arakawa apprentice and Mino specialist, Nakayama Naoki and his blend of his master, Momoyama archetypes and his inner voice are clearly on display with the ink rendering also paying homage to his versatile teacher. The form shows off generous and sturdy proportions which are perfect for the intended function of the bowl while the simple blushed white Shino and direct underglaze iron decoration create a mental picture that most viewers can embrace and understand. Though a simple bowl in design and execution, I have always maintained that there is a deep complexity to simplicity and the simpler the appearance the more difficult the creation where things easily go wrong and are glaringly obvious in their lack of continuity and balance, that is just not the case here. As I study this bowl it is "just so", you can second guess all of the potter's decisions but in the end, everything is just as it should be in both the clay and ink of this classic chawan.

"The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity." Douglas Horton

PLATYCODON GRANDIFLORUS

Illustrated is a classic Arakawa-mon (school) chawan by long time apprentice, Nakayama Naoki who served a long apprenticeship prior to setting up his own studio/kiln in Ogaya Village. Well known for his freehand and simple decoration of his chawan using the Chinese bellflower design, Nakayama's chawan bear a striking resemblance to that of his master, Arakawa Toyozo but upon close examination there are subtle differences, nuances that are apparent not because he wasn't capable of copying the master but rather out of respect he searched out his own vocabulary within the form. Many of the chawan that I have seen by Nakayama have a warm and rather inviting quality to them, a sense of purpose contained within the simple and well exectued form. His chawan usually show a rather regular lip with slight undulation and the hera cut area that form the transition from the body of the bowl to the kodai area, is cut quickly and with skilled repetition creating a subtlety rounded form with a soft area that sits well in the hand. Nakayama Naoki has skillfully created the balance of blending the old with the new and using his master's works as a foundation to create his own voice that speaks to modern Mino-yaki.

ANOTHER MALLET VASE

I was searching around on the web and came across this picture of a nice Shino mallet vase by Mizuno Takuzo, my original search didn't pan out despite searching for some time so in some ways this vase is a consolation prize of sorts. The form is certainly deliberate in nature with the type of inward taper moving toward the shoulder with the neck flaring out as it goes up giving the mallet just the right sense of proportions and geometry that appeals to me. Though there doesn't appear to be any iron slip applied, the Shino surface has blushed to pinks and orange flashes from top to bottom and coupled with the excellent texture makes for a rather visually engaging pot. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the shallow depression that moves from the shoulder to the neck which is highlighted by a spiraling texture that goes around the pot and is dusted with just a hint of wood ash especially in the depressions. I think if I was pressed I could come up with a reasonable explanation of what it is about the mallet form that interests me, but the short cut to the answer is simple, it appeals to me at a visceral level, I respond to the borrowed purpose and weathered aesthetic that is imparted on pots just exactly like this piece by Mizuno Takuzo. There is little more that I can ask or expect from a pot.

志野茶碗

Looking like a thin, fresh coating of snow allowing the earth to peek through, this Shino chawan  paints a elegant picture in tones of pure white, rich iron red and fiery orange on a buff  mogusa clay. Made by long time veteran and rennaissance potter, Kishimoto Kennin, this chawan has all the tell tale signs of his work from strong and purposeful form, well addressed lip and kodai to a glaze that is a blend of the Momoyama ideal with elements of his modernism. The milky quality of the Shino glaze with areas that allow the iron painted underglaze to show through remind me of simple Momoyama ink painting (suiboku-ga) and grab my attention while the tapered form with the inward curve at the lip asks to be picked up and handled a bit. Among all pottery it is this intimate connection that makes the chawan so appealing and though I certainly appreciate large pots and sculptural ceramics, is there anything more elemental than the feel of a good bowl in the hand?

KUMO

I made a short video slideshow of another Shino chawan by Sakai Kobu. Glazed in a nice array of colors, the bowl is bisected by a waspy, drifting area of pure white like a rolling cloud bank drifting in front of a dark mountain range. Sakai well known for his patented "Sakai Shino" has a wonderful gift for creating chawan (and other pots) that have the sense of having been painted as much as they have been glazed and this kumo, cloud chawan is a good example of just that.

"a good omen
in the west, deep red
billowing clouds"  Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)

A CERTAIN CLASSICISM

At first glance it is easy to see what appears to be a classic modern Shino bowl form in this illustration but the surface is neither typical of the pot or potter being fired Shigaraki style. Thrown and fired by Mino traditional veteran, Wakao Toshisada, this particular bowl form is highly typical of the potter who on occasion creates a number of pots that are distinctly outside his normal range including Karatsu, hakeme, kohiki, Shigaraki and over-glaze enamel pieces this chawan was thrown out of a durable Shigaraki clay and has a nice, rich coat of ash with areas punctuated by melting feldspar and fiery hi-iro patches making for a lovely wood fired pot that pays homage to traditions of the past, both Shigaraki and Mino. I have seen a wide array of pots by Wakao Toshisada and am always left satisfied by his ability to create thoughtful and classic works infused with his distinctive touch whether they be his trademark Rimpa style pieces or his more classic works in Shino, Seto-Guro and Oribe. Though not within the traditional boundaries of Mino, you can get hints of that classicism in this chawan through the posture, character and form that only a well seasoned and practiced potter could get away with.

"It is an unscrupulous intellect that does not pay to antiquity its due reverence."  Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

GO

Illustrated is a close up of the interior of a rather large (aren't they all) chawan by the Bear of Echizen, Kumano Kuroemon. Known as "GO" for the five drips in the mikomi, molten drips from pots above, shelves and the kiln itself have found their way to the bottom of the bowl and have run into one another to create a design reminiscent of an abstract plum blossom. There is a great deal of happenstance when firing a wood kiln, some good, some bad and that which is expected or hoped in one manner or another. I have seen a number of wood fired pots with seemingly random drips on interiors and exteriors and in the case of Kumano, a number of his chawan and hachi have such drips to testify to the volatility and ferocity of the molten ash that few potter's can get where the clay, glaze, kiln and potter are all at the borders of their physical limitations.

"A man who limits his interests, limits his life." Vincent Price (1911-1993)

SNOW WHITE

Illustrated is solitary Shino vase by Higashida Shigemasa punctuated in use with a floral arrangement. It is simple in form but the piece has a wide array of features that are compelling enough; from rich textural surface, direct spatula marks on opposing sides and the soft, velvety texture with a satin appearance to the glaze. Higashida calls this unique glaze, Hakusetsu, white snow and it surely paints a picture of purity, of softly drifting snow engulfing the form. For nearly two decades the potter has been working on perfecting this glaze and its use finding both traditional and modern forms that compliment each other. I have had the opportunity to see and handle a wide number of different Shino works and I can say that this glaze is among the most idiosyncratic and personal surfaces I have encountered. I can't speak to whether Higashida has perfected this glaze yet to his taste but in hand and also in use, it seems about as perfect as it can get.

If you would like to see more photos of this vase, please feel free to click on the link which will bring you to my Trocadero marketplace;

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1323812/item1323812store.html

YET ANOTHER

Illustrated is yet another uzukumaru style vase with a shoulder blanketed in ash and a cascade that encircles the pieces in 360 degrees. This uzukumaru has a decorated shoulder as well but in this case it is not the classic Shigaraki fence design but rather a series of arabesque slashes and cuts in the clay that makes for a rich border around this robust pot. Though seemingly a classic style Shigaraki piece this pot hails from Mashiko and was made by veteran potter Takauchi Shugo (b.1937). Most likely best known for his Shino and Oribe pottery, Shugo has produced a number of classically inspired pots that have been wood fired without glaze (yakishime) and are haikaburi style. This sturdy and classic piece was made in the early 1990's and has a wonderful array of wood fired effects with a well addressed mouth and neck and rather fanciful decoration with a lyrical quality. Though made a distance from Shigaraki, this pot embodies the feudal spirit of the archetypical uzukumaru while blending traditionalism with spontaneous expressionism (of design) that Takauchi Shugo is well known for.

FELDSPAR & ASH

I put together a short slideshow video of a vase that arrived here recently. The piece is a Shino and haiyu glazed vase by Oribe and Shino specialist Higashida Shigemasa and is basically a mix of feldspar and ash on the surface. Using his signature Hakusetsu Shino, this vase shows a very strong deconstructivist style that is married with the aesthetics of contemporary Japanese ceramics. This blend makes for a rather unique and idiosyncratic visual that is easily recognizable as the work of Higashida Shigemasa for which he is so well know for in Japan and abroad. Each angle and manner of presentation presents an entirely new landscape to the pot, with each turn of the piece the pot communicates a more and more complex narrative which is another signature associated with Higashida's work.

VARIETAS

Illustrated is another Shino mallet vase by Mino veteran, Yamada Seiji. Though similar to one from a previous post, this form is far more sturdy and purposeful as if it is an exact copy of a well used and weathered wood mallet that has seen years and years of serious and abusive work. Yamada created this piece with a  short neck and simple tapered body complimenting each other quite well and making for a very natural and cohesive shape. Covered in a lustrous Shino glaze with alluring areas of blushing seen around the base and is complimented with a faint yuzu style texture and interconnecting fissures created by the glaze tension. The pot is finished off with a slightly chamfered foot which helps raise the pot off the ground and making it much more pleasing to the eye. The more mallet form vases I see the greater number of details unfold making for a form that never gets old and is a balance of both simplicity and variety.

The previous Yamada Seiji mallet post can be found here;

http://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2015/02/seiji-shino.html

UNEXPECTED

I must admit, things have a funny way of working out. Last week a collector I have known for a long time asked me if I could sell a few pieces for him to which I agreed and he sent them along. The package arrived today and one bowl in particular was rather unexpected, a really fine Shino chawan by Tamaoki Yasuo. I was not told what was coming other than two Shino chawan and a large pot by a British potter so the contents were a bit of a mystery but as I know this collector pretty well, I trusted the pots would not disappoint. The reason I find this a bit unexpected is that last week I had a friend send me a Tamaoki mizusashi photo which I put up on my blog last Friday, rather coincidental timing. I have put together a 4Vu montage of the Shino chawan which gives a nice panoramic view around the bowl and highlights why Tamaoki is so highly regarded. The truth is that not only is this a great looking Momoyama influenced bowl, it feels so wonderful in the hand.

To see more of this chawan, please have a look at it over on my Trocadero marketplace;

http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/items/1302800/item1302800store.html