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It would seem that the pottery of Oni-Shino exponent, Tsukigata Nahiko is not that well known in the West. As a potter who had several television specials, several books, numerous national exhibitions and catalogues regarding his work, in his homeland, some have called him the Picasso of Japan. Beyond his pottery, Tsukigata is well known for his sculpture, wood carvings, painting and calligraphy and for his prize (Grand Prix) winning oil paintings. His paintings were exhibited throughout Japan and abroad and there are also several books dedicated to his oils of a wide array of subject matters. 

Illustrated is a bold and colorful still life from the mid-80's with a wonderfully balanced composition pitting pot against flower blossoms rendered in quick swirls of bold color with thick impasto borders. The pot on the other hand is finished in a simple monochrome manner that allows the texture of the brushstrokes to accentuate the image. This is the trademark style of Tsukigata that allows the vivid, fluid movement to bring the subject matter to life in an abstract manner. Painting or pottery, the hand is immediately identifiable from this renaissance artist.

GLAZE CERTAINTY

There  have been a number of pitfalls to glaze testing beyond the normal, where the tests just don't work. I have had a number of tests pan out to the second stage where they didn't make it and some go on to be made up in larger batches, over 2500 gr. and then cease to work as they had in several test phases previous. But by far the most frustrating and even devious scenarios are where you make up a batch, glaze multiple pieces and the glaze responds perfectly. Now out of the new test glaze, you go and make up more, glaze up more pieces and when you unload the kiln, the new glaze has failed.

 This happened recently, using materials that I "inherited". I made up a cool, bright glaze and glazed a number of pots, all came out well better than expected, however, the glaze ran low and I made up more with the same exact materials and the glaze failed miserably. My current suspicion is that the original glaze was made up with chemicals that have been around since the 70's and the new batch from materials I bought as far back as last spring. I think I can ultimately solve the problem, but I won't hold my breath. There is never any glaze certainty when testing is involved.

Illustrated is one of the blend glazes I came up with about a month or so ago. This one is called T'pir after the initials of the two glazes it sprung from and has made it through two levels of testing. Unfortunately, the necessity for several cycles of terra cotta has put the next phase of the testing on hold, but once I get back to stoneware, I see some teabowls, small jars and a vase or two destined for the T'pir glaze.

"If we begin with certainties, we shall end in doubts; but if we begin with doubts, and are patient in them, we shall end in certainties."  Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

HAPPY LABOR DAY

"The fruit derived from labor is the sweetest of all pleasures." Luc de Clapiers (1715-1747)

RAIN

Illustrated is a teabowl I made a short while back that is unapologetically about pattern. The waisted form was thrown in porcelain and glazed in a feldspar glaze with a rich black texture over. The interior is a pure off-white crackle  with the rain pattern actually showing some nice oilspots. I know that sometimes I get more than carried away with too much pattern, but for this technique, a lot of pattern was called for. A good friend refers to this work, "wallpaper for the mind" and I am not sure I can dispute his observation.

"Finite to fail, but infinite to venture." Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

TEBINERI

Here is a video of the master potter, Raku Kichizaemon XV making a chawan and carving/ tooling the foot. The excerpt  comes from an NHK television special and shows the tebineri process of making a piece without the wheel. There are three main methods of making Raku chawan;  tebineri, made without the use of a wheel, kurinuki-carved out technique in which the bowl is literally carved out of a mass of clay and lastly, the wheel thrown, pinched and manipulated style. The most traditional style is that of hand making the pot, without the use of the wheel and stretches back to the early 1600's among Raku potters.  For those of you, uninitiated to the chawan of Raku Kichizaemon XV, he works in both traditional styles as well as making nearly avant-garde chawan that border on sculpture. Either way, his work has added a monumental leap to the Raku tradition.

A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT

"Pinch, pinch, pinch,

A bowl appears.

The fire is red hot." 

(Anonymous inscription on a Meiji period Raku chawan)

I have a friend who is very interested in the  Raku-yaki works of Raku Kichizaemon XV. Talking with him about Kichizaemon, it is abundantly clear about his passion for this work and got me thinking more about modern Raku, which simply means "enjoyment" in Japanese. Over the years, I have participated in the modern Western approximation of Raku a number of times, even seeing the late Paul Soldner make and fire Raku along the way. In a series of trips to Japan, we visited the Raku Museum in Kyoto a number of times and that really opened my eyes to the true nature and process of Raku from the late Momoyama-jidai to the present. Though spread out over centuries, there is an identifiable thread that links these works and makes them instantly recognizable as Raku.

I have seen a number of really great historic and modern Raku works, including the works of  Hon’ami Koetsu, Raku Chojiro, Raku Kichizaemon XIV and XV and the diversity among these works though large is all tied together in what appears to be a simple set of guidelines concerning the pottery and its prescribed use in Cha(no)yu.  While examining the Raku pieces on display, which also included an exhibition of chawan by Kichizaemon XV, there are a number of characteristics that are seen throughout the work, that identifiable thread. This always makes me think back on one of the first Japanese pottery books (in English) I ever read; JAPANESE POTTERY (1971) by Soame Jenyns.

To paraphrase from his book with a few of my personal thoughts and additions, Jenyns quotes pottery expert Imaizumi Yosaku, on the  five points or basis to judge good Raku chawan. Though broad and vague, the actual teaching of these points is as involved as tea itself. These criterion are as downplayed as Sen (no) Rikyu’s (1522-1591) take on tea, which is one of the great over simplifications;  “The art of tea way consists simply of boiling water, preparing tea and drinking it.”

1) The Mouth; the mouth should be a fitting "conclusion" of the form and terminate in a way that it is comfortable to the mouth and at the same time aids to cut the stream of the tea. If the mouth is too prominent, it can take away from the form and overall appearance. The surface of the lip should not be too rough to the lip of the user.

2) The shape of the teapool; the mikomi most be just appropriate and concave enough to accommodate the whisking of the tea and not so obvious that it detracts from the interior form and the overall form by distorting the base and kodai. The pool should also be smooth as to not cause any damage to the whisk and be free of any pocks or blisters which can trap the dry tea.

3) The shape of the base; the base of the bowl should be accommodating to the hand, just smooth enough to be comfortable, but rough enough to create a transition from the bowl form to the foot. The base should also create a foot that keeps the bowl steady.

4) The finish of the base; the finish should again be very comfortable to the hand, and be addressed so as to be “sculpted” in a way that it complements the form and appears natural and uncontrived.

5) The place where the tea whisk rests; this detail is usually missed among many chawan makers, there must be a conceived and well integrated “place” where the maker understands and sees the chasen resting  against the wall and lip of the chawan. This spot must by very natural but obvious to chajin and collectors when looking at the bowl.

Masatoshi Okochi, another expert, adds two additional criterion when judging Raku chawan;

6) Glaze and color; the glaze must be fired to the right temperature and is allowed to run down and create a rolling landscape or visual to the bowl, this detail is best when it is suggestive or evokes a naturalistic appearance. The color of the glaze must “blend” into the glaze and support and compliment the form.  The color must also take into account the balance between the glaze color and variations in whisked tea. The depth and richness of the best glazes are not easy to describe, but once seen, they are never forgotten.

7) Sugata; The form must asks to be handled, picked up and set down and imparts a steady stance when it is at rest and in use from the preparation of tea, to whisking to the actual act of drinking the tea. The posture of the bowl is staged by how the base and form interact.

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Like the utter simplicity of Sen (no) Rikyu's explanation of tea ceremony, the guidelines and rules concerning the Raku chawan and chadogu is rather simplified and seems like nothing more than common sense. As you examine the number of great Raku chawan though, the subtleties and complexities of their manufacture is written in their form and varying attributes. In seeing a vast number of Raku chawan it is clear that many potters have not mastered the art of this style of work and that there is much more to these simple Raku chawan than a bowl pinched from a small ball of clay.

Illustrated is a lusterous Kuro-raku chawan by  Konishi Heinai II (b.1928) of the Taikogama. This chawan has a luscious black citron style surface and the form is broad and very solid in appearance. It rests on a narrow, hand tooled foot and the entire chawan is covered in the rich black Raku glaze. Konishi studied and was later adopted by his uncle Konishi Heinai I and also went on to study with Kawakita Handeishi (1878-1963) and though adept at a variety of styles, he is best known for his chadogu in Raku and Iga-yaki. This fine chawan shows the careful thoughtfulness of Konishi's understanding of Raku from the lyrical roving lip and excellent choice of the tong mark placement.

COIL & THROW

Back in June I posted up an early mizusashi by Furutani Michio from the 1970's, fast forward, probably a decade and we have a similar form, but it shows maturity and certainly advances in his firing ability. The pot is of an elementary form, made by the coil and throw method which was how most of Furutani's pots were made. The stout form is stripped down to its barest essentials and the firing has created a rich ash covered surface which completes the dialogue of the pot. The running ash on the face of the pot creates a wonderful vertical image that appears to disappear beneath the exceptional shadow line that the potter engineered into the pot. Looking at this pot, there is no escaping that classic Furutani style and his mastery of  anagama firing.

KATO YASUKAGE XIV (1964-2012)

I was recently informed of the death of the talented Mino potter, Kato Yasukage XIV who died in a car accident on August 13th. Kato was the 14th generation of his family to make pottery, stretching all the way back to the Momoyama period. Whether the works were bold or subtle, his insightful touch brought his pottery to life and added a resonant contribution to the Shino and Oribe traditions. He will be missed by many.

AGREE TO DISAGREE

I think back to reading and hearing about Bernard Leach's theory, that if you took five pots and ten "experts", all ten of the experts would agree on which was the best pot. Over the years however, from my own empirical observation, that would seem to be more theory that actuality. Through the years, I have been to quite a number of gallery and museum shows, with experts and aficionados alike and it never ceases to amaze me the wide array of choices that individuals arrive at. One person picks one pot, another a different piece and so forth, throw in the discussion of the various merits of various pots and what you arrive at is that objectivity is severely clouded by one's subjective reasoning and emotions. The characteristics of subtlety, boldness, masculinity, femininity,  form, function, style, irregularity, symmetry; are rooted in our sub-conscious and drive our likes and dislikes.

With the advent of the internet, relationships with potters and collectors has opened up a forum to discuss the pros and cons of pottery and again, it never ceases to amaze me how a pot one individual or group loves is almost loathed by others. I am constantly engaged in emails with people extolling the virtues of one pot or potter while vilifying another. What I have discovered is the bottom line is that subjectivity prevails and the dialogue one has with a pot, positive or negative is dictated by the experiences and preferences of that single viewer.  If objectivity ruled, everyone would like the same standards of varying fields and things would be more than a bit bland. It is this division of opinion that makes studying pottery interesting and keeps everyone from wanting the exact same thing. In the end, we all just have to agree to disagree.

"It is the difference of opinion that makes horse races."   Mark Twain (1835-1910)

POT LUCK

A while ago, a good friend of mine acquired a great pot, remarkable by any standard. By remarkable, I mean a pot that is truly a masterpiece by the potter and certainly a museum quality piece, a rather rare thing. Honestly, it was everything I would want by the artist and then some, I could go on and on, but there really are not enough adjectives to adequately describe the pot. At the risk of being forward, I asked him if he thought there was any way in which he would part with the vase and at the very least, should he decide in the future to sell it, would he think of me first? Not surprisingly, he said, if I wanted it, I could have it. I say not surprisingly because he has been among the most gracious of any collector I have ever met.

The highly anticipated vase arrived and did not disappoint at any level. In fact, the form, surface, size and presentation of the pot all exceeded any expectations I could have had and the posture of the pot is just priceless. The real reason that it was sent my way is that my friend realized, to him it was a really good pot, to me it was the near pinnacle of what I collect and knowing that, he selflessly thought it belonged in our collection. After reflecting on it for a while, though I am exceedingly happy to have the pot luck, the truth is I am even more pleased to have such a good friend and hope I can return the favor three-fold. After all, a good friendship is the foundation you can build your life upon.

"Friendship without self-interest is one of the rare and beautiful things of life."  James Francis Byrnes (1882-1972)