SUI GENERIS

Illustrated is a close up of a Shigaraki mentori-tsubo by Kohyama Yasuhisa. Beyond the fact that his work stands unique and apart from most other wood fired pots in Japan and abroad, there is a singular uniqueness in how Kohyama-san fires and builds up ash on his pieces. Having researched and experimented in how he fires and what woods he uses, he is able to build up ash creating a pebblely texture which at times is reminiscent of the nodes which make up rayskin, same-gawa. It is a vivid and evocative texture created quite naturally, through skilled firing and this texture adds dimension to his already unique works. The ash pebbles cling to the work, defining the surfaces only relinquishing their grasp on the crisp and hard edges created through faceting the hardy Shigaraki clay. Though the visual texture is quite wonderful, it also adds to the way light plays with the surface, not to mention how wonderfully tactile the pot is to run your hand, carefully over the pot. Few if any other potter creates pottery with such vivid and timeless texture that harkens ones thoughts back to the age of the ancient Sueki wares. It is a rare and complex texture that is worthy of what modern Shigaraki has to say in the 20th and 21st centuries.

KOGO

Illustrated is an Oribe glazed kogo that I made as one of those spur of the moment ideas, an exercise in haste. It was thrown as a closed form, paddled square in form and "crinkle" faceted, then cut to create a top and bottom. Once bisque, it was glazed in a thinner coat of Oribe than usual so that the glaze would not run and glue the pieces together. Despite its thinness, the Oribe still managed to pool at the base of the top and bottom inside the furrows which run around the kogo. These exercises are meant to be all about spontaneity, directness and the least amount of thinking possible. I think this piece took less than 5 minutes to make.

"Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry." John Wesley (1703-1791)

BLUE MONDAY X

Illustrated is a very large pot by internationally recognized ceramic artist, Morino Taimei (b. 1934). There is a great deal written about Morino across a variety of websites, so I will skip the accolades and focus on the pot. At over 16" tall, it is one of the largest pieces by Morino that I have seen. His choice of decoration, reaching vertically up the pot only adds to the scale and presence of this piece which has the sense of some ancient totemic stele bathed in blue, turquoise and tan tones. Named, CHUO (Listening to the Rain), this vessel won the 1993 Minister of Education Prize at the Nikko-kai Exhibit and a special notation and date inside of the box lid attests to the fact as well. Having seen a great number of pieces by Morino over the years, this particular one will rank as one of the most powerful and memorable contemporary Japanese sculptural vessel that I have encountered.

IT'S ABOUT FORM, IT'S ABOUT SPACE

Form is truly magical, whether natural or manmade, it is responsible for everything you see from Fujiyama to the Pyramids and even you and me. Studying form is a wondrous pastime and among pottery, a great way to study pure form is to look at the great Chinese monochrome porcelains. They are uncluttered, most stripped to the barest essentials and pure in their creation. Over the years I have been influenced by a wide variety of monochrome pots while working out different forms that I am throwing, the illustrated pot is just such an example. This particular vase, measures just over 13" and is part of a group of pieces that owe their genesis to a Chinese vase I saw at the ROM many years back. Glazed in my dark, rich temmoku, the simple form called for simple glazing in monochrome with the interior of the foot ring being glazed in clear to add the stark contrast.  Though I have made these forms in various sizes and glazes over the years, it is the monochrome versions that give the fullest accounting of the form and the space which the pot commands. The simpler the pot and the glazing, there more it is all about form and space.

ABOUT THE OTHER DAY

After writing about my recent Fujiwara Kei experience, I had several people ask to see the chawan in question. As I have previously explained, the owner did not want the photos put up. So, I rifled through a bunch of my books and found a very similar chawan, though in my honest opinion, it is not quite as good as the one I handled. The chawan I was fortunate to handle was made in 1978, the illustrated chawan was made sometime between 1974 and 1983. As you can see, the chawan was fired upside down and where it faced the fire, the ash built up and a rich, fluid, even molten tamadare flowed down to the lip, now correctly oriented, the movement seems to be trying to move off the pot, defying gravity. The rich purple tinged hi-iro is an excellent counterpoint to the ash and paints a very noble and dignified atmosphere about this chawan. The works of Fujiwara Kei are unfettered and uncomplicated, they present an honest expressions that is most welcome among the long standing Bizen tradition.

A QUIET DIGNITY

I will start out by apologizing for not having any pictures to go along with this post, but I am respecting the wishes of the owner to keep the photos to myself. That out of the way, I recently had the opportunity to handle and spend time with a magnificent Fujiwara Kei Bizen chawan. Though a bit on the small side, its rounded form, exceptional potting and firing created a piece well beyond its measurements. Fired upside down, over half of the exterior surface is covered in cascading ash, tamadare, that all moves up to the lip, the remainder of the exterior and interior are covered in a beautiful, even serene purple hued hi-iro sheen with wisps of smoky trails where the fired had caressed the bowl. To some I am sure the bowl may seem out of step with what is modern Bizen, but the quiet dignity of the chawan exudes an inescapable eloquence that few potters can muster. What also can be mistaken for simple throwing is in fact a lifelong dedication to creating pots with a seemingly naive honesty that was present during the days of the Momoyama era. There was a time when this style of potting ushered in a second renaissance, similar to the Momoyama times and lead by the giants of the 20th century; men like Fujiwara Kei, Kaneshige Toyo, Arakawa Toyozo, Nakazato Muan, Miwa Kyuwa and a few others lead a resurgence of ideals that had been long lost. This particular pot and potter managed to create a new voice for Bizen that will act as a standard for centuries to come.

"True eloquence consists in saying all that is proper, and nothing more." Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

ILLUMINATED

Our home, which is built into the side of a hill, faces south and takes full advantage of the sun as it crosses from east to west. In the back corner of the house is a room, at one time a bedroom, we have converted to a library and display area. At just the right time each day, the sun washes into the room from a rather oblique angle lighting up pots as it moves ever more westward. This is one of my favorite times of day to look at a pot that is up on a storage tansu as the sun baths the pot in light. The pot, moves as the sun moves with varying effects highlighted and dramatic reflections and shadows created that are unique each and every day. This instance is one of those moments that conveys the beauty, majesty and essence of the piece and is just another of the myriad of conversations that I can have with a pot. These are some of the moments why I am grateful to live with pottery.

Illustrated is a rather large, O-tsubo by master, veteran Shigaraki potter, Okano Hosei (Noriyo) (b.1937). Having first studied with Kyoto salt firing pioneer, Iwabuchi Shigeya, once finishing his apprenticeship he founded his own studio/kiln specializing in anagama fired Shigaraki pottery. This pot was fired with the mouth slightly tilted toward the fire and the entire shoulder was covered with ash which over time built up, melted and blazed it own series of trails down the circumference of the pot. From my perspective, this pot is truly majestic as it is illuminated by the incoming sunlight in the late afternoon.

INK CHAWAN

Illustrated is a poetic ink and wash rendition of a Rimpa influenced Shino chawan by Mino veteran, Wakao Toshisada. The simplicity of the form, outlined in ink with no superfluous details, houses the ink and wash flower that decorates the chawan. Knowing the work of Wakao, the image conjures to mind how the chawan would look in clay and three dimensions. Though there is little detail, bare bones if you will, everything needed to know this chawan is rendered in a few moments of lyrical brushwork.

MATSUKAWA

I really enjoy the challenges and use of iron in glazing. I have an iron red glaze that can be used thin, like a wash to temper the surfaces of a glaze, like the Oribe and when used thick, it creates cascading waterfalls of streaks that I liken to matsukawa, pine bark. I first saw this matsukawa style in the works of Tsukigata Nahiko and was very interested in the effects and set about to do my best to recreate the look. Over time and experimentation, I was able to get the iron to not only behave in a certain way, but also to travel in predetermined pathways based on textures applied to the wet clay or through the use of slips. Illustrated is a oval teabowl with a diagonal bark texture which channels the iron diagonally around the bowl adding to its sense of momentum. The variation in tones from the amber of the texture high points and the lip to the running olive, iron red and mustardy yellow add to the visual texture as well creating a rich matsukawa pattern that compliments the bowl both visually and texturally. From my perspective, the iron has done its job.

HAGAROMO

Illustrated is a close-up of the yuteki, oil spot style of Kimura Yoshihiro. This evocative surface calls to mind the play, HAGAROMO (The Feather Mantle). The luscious silver feathery trails reach down the tsubo like metallic tendrils enveloping the pot. Given the large size of the pot and the disastrous failure rate, the survival of this piece alone is a significant feat. Created by the son of master temmoku and yuteki specialist, Kimura Morikazu, Kimura Yoshihiro is the perfect inheritor of the dynasty pioneered and forged by the three Kimura brothers; Morikazu, Moriyasu and Morinobu.

You can see more pictures of this wonderful tsubo here;
http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1188146/item1188146store.html