ONI-SHINO TAMADARE

Illustrated is a fine Oni-Shino vase by Tsukigata Nahiko. This form is one Tsukigata used quite frequently with sizes ranging from about 8" up to as much as 16". On this particular piece, there is a wonderful interplay of the iron and the white Shino glaze with a rich and vibrant green ash running down the face of the pot indicating its position in the firing. Tsukigata fired his pottery in an anagama much like his master, Arakawa Toyozo; the main difference being the intensity to which it was fired and the determined encouragement of ash build up that would then melt and run along the surfaces of his pots in tamadare fashion. If you look at this vase, you can see where the bulk of the ash built up on the upper third of the pot and then when the temperature was just right in the kiln, it began to cascade down the surface adding to the varying effects of the iron and Shino. Though I can imagine the pot without the contribution of the ash, it is not only the glazing, but the ferocity of the process that make Tsukigata's work truly unique and stand alone among the wide array of pottery now called (erroneously) Oni-Shino.

"Though old the thought and oft exprest; 'Tis his at last that says it best."  James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

THICK AS A BRICK

Illustrated is another pot from the last firing, glazed in an amber ash over temmoku combo. I have been working on getting slip thicker and at some places, the slip exceeds 0.25" by quite a bit. This cog inspired bowl was first slipped and then the texture created using an old credit card. If you look at the base of the bowl, you can see where the slip channeled running ash and created an unexpected secondary texture of a thick, rippled glaze roll. I am continuing to work on this technique, getting the slip thicker and thicker but in the back of my mind I know at some point, it will all go too far. Ultimately the slip will flake off in the bisque or shiver off after the glaze, I am just compelled to find out what that point is. I wonder if it is the technique or the potter that is thick as a brick?

FOOTSTEPS

At first glance, this Iga chawan has the classically medieval  style of the late Furutani Michio, but upon closer examination, there are subtle differences. The form a bit different, a bit tighter in  the way the pot is thrown and the kodai is created, telling his own story. This chawan was made by Furutani Kazuya, son of Furutani Michio and quite the apt pupil. Relying on forms forged by his father and exceptional firing skills, this teabowl follows in the footsteps of his father's body of work, but it is quite clear, Kazuya has his own voice and chapter to write within the traditions of both Iga and Shigaraki pottery. In this case the idiom, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" has rarely been more apropos.

BLUE MONDAY XIII

Salt fired in the last chamber of his nobori-gama this rice-bowl inspired chawan is a lovely example of the work of Shimaoka Tatsuzo (1919-2007). Taking a number of cues from his master, Hamada Shoji, this simple, yet elegant salt fired bowl has his patented Jomon-zogan technique using rich cobalt contrasted against the pale green salted surface. The generous form and crisp cut foot are complimented by the band of cobalt which seems to hold the pot together like a taut belt while the angle of the inlay yields perpetual motion. The bowl pays homage to not only the work of Hamada but the countless number of folk potters who proceeded and inspired them both.

ANTI-Q

A friend sent me this picture recently and at first glance it looked like an antique Seto pot, turn of the century or a bit older, until I really looked at it. Though I doubt I would have guessed who made it, the brushwork was very familiar.  What is obviously based on old Momoyama style suibokuga, the decoration is an abstracted landscape which speaks of far off places and a very tranquil and calming atmosphere which the form echoes. I marvel at the abbreviated and direct decoration, it speaks of nearly an infinite variety of landscapes and places we all know and love. In its own way,  it is any place we can imagine, painting a grand illusion in its brevity. What ends up being a rather powerful and evocative brush stroke is an excuse to get lost in a myriad of possibilities.

In truth this is not Seto-yaki, rather it is Iga pottery, not the Iga that normally comes to mind, but rather the place it was created and the potter, Banura Shiro, is every bit the Iga potter. Working in styles influenced by much older pottery and the Rimpa tradition, Banura created work that relies on common designs, motifs and decoration, but used in a potent and original manner while making them best fit three dimensional forms, a skill he excelled at. First dipped in a coat of white slip, the iron brushwork is applied, over which an ash based translucent amber glaze is used and the results are quite wonderful. It ends up being a rather earthy pot which exudes charm and at the end of the day, this is one of the most antique modern pots I have seen in some time and this but another skill of Banura Shiro.

"The closest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." John Muir

CREDIT CARD APPLICATION

In keeping with the slip posts, illustrated is a teabowl out of my last firing, it is porcelain with a thick porcelain slip over it. The slip was applied with an old credit card that had been cut in half and the front gently rounded; not exceptionally original, but effective none the less. The pattern was first applied horizontally with three groups of three swipes made vertically at a slight diagonal. The glaze on the bowl is an amber ash glaze that has specks of debris locked into the surfaces adding another dimension to it. Given the credit card application, I think the surface has come out rather casual and with just the right amount of gesture, in hand, the raised slip adds another layer of interest to the bowl.

"Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes."  Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1823-1911)

SLIP PATTERN

Starting out with a simple idea and form, cut paper is applied to the piece, thick slip is applied all over the surface of the pot and when set up, the paper is removed and the pattern emerges. This was a favorite and oft used technique of Shinkai Kanzan (1912-1996) that together with a rich base glaze and a variety of oxide washes, created both vivid color variations and gesture within the decoration. From this perspective, the full breath of the pattern is visible, almost as if to imitate a carousel in motion with rich tones of amber and burgundy dividing the form along defined visual section. As with many of his pots decorated in this manner, it is a simple idea that yields the most infinite of possibilities.

AO REVISITED

Anyone who has worked with cobalt in glazes is well aware, to get to where you want to go, it is not always just about adding more and more oxide. That was the case with wanting to liven up the intensity of my Ao glaze and hopefully making it say a bit more, adding more cobalt, just made it bluer and didn't necessarily get me the results I was interested in. I realized that though the cobalt would need to be increased a very small amount, other tweaks would be needed or I would just end up with a dark blue glaze. Through a number of tests and relying on tips from Kawai Kanjiro, I added a touch of iron to temper the blue together with another ingredient that I was clued in to by looking back on the Parmellee book. Illustrated is the newest version of the Ao glaze on a porcelain teabowl with thick slip looking almost fluted around the piece. The glaze is richer than the old version with highly active spots here and there, further activating the surface. At the bottom of each of the slip channels, there are running pools of rich, indigo blue glaze with feathery trails of light blue streaking running to the foot with the areas of the thickest slip creating white borders about the bowl. I have yet to go beyond the teabowl scale but a vase and covered jar are next in line for testing out the new blue.

"This unknown self, is revealed through the work of the hands and body, and is that unconscious element in every man that prods him on to new achievements." Kawai Kanjiro (from WE DO NOT WORK ALONE; The Thoughts of Kawai Kanjiro)

UNEXPECTED

If you stop and think about the Mino potter, Toyoba Seiya (b. 1942), a wide variety of styles come to mind; from earthy kohiki wares, Oribe, Shino of various styles, Ki-Seto and even Seto-guro. What may come as a surprise is the yakishime style that he makes which includes both Bizen and Shigaraki pottery. Having maintained a long apprenticeship under Arakawa Toyozo which lasted 14 years, it was not until 1974 that he went on to build his own studio and kiln at the foot of his master's studio. It was only natural that he would take the styles he studied to hand and ply his craft around the variety of Mino tradition potteries at which his master was so adept. Like a fellow apprentice, Tsukigata Nahiko, Toyoba was exposed to the fullest variety of work that Arakawa created and this also became ingrained in his psyche. Once he set up his own studio, it was time to explore the vast array of clay in his own voice and for some, it is the unexpected that best suits one's true temperament.

Toyoba Seiya continues to create works in a wide variety of styles and from time to time also fires Bizen and Shigaraki pots in his wood kiln, presumably nearest to the fire-mouth to encourage natural ash (shizen-yu) build up on the pieces. Illustrated is a rather lovely Shigaraki chawan by Toyoba that has been streamlined in form, the vagaries and superfluous details shed to let the form, clay and fired surface communicate without any boundaries or impediments. Surveying the well ash coated form, over the lip and into the bowl, there is an luscious pool of green glass that collected leaving tell-tale clues as to how the pot was fired. This clearly is one of those chawan that would have been equally at home in the early Edo Period or a modern tea room of the 21st century.

"There is nothing special about making ceramics. That is why it's so difficult." Toyoba Seiya

MARGINS

Like a number of modern Japanese potters, Ito Sekisui V is able to draw from over three centuries of experience going back generations in his family. Though he is able to use the technology and firing methods from his families long history, his skill and artistry is entirely in his own, exceptionally capable hands. In many respects though, it is this deep well of experience that gives potters like Ito a distinct advantage and for potters in the United States, having  three hundred year old shoulders to stand on is virtually unheard of. Ito Sekisui V, a Ningen Kokuho for this technique is well versed in the use of the locales' native vermillion red, mumyoi clay, a fine grained and beautiful clay. It was originally fired in such a way as to best showcase the color and texture of the clay until Sekisui V started using the natural yohen, kiln change techniques which created localized reduction and "painted" the surface of the pots with varying hues of color, complimenting the natural clay color and creating vivid, ethereal landscapes and skyscapes not seen before. In person it is quite apparent that words can little describe this aesthetic, the work is breathtaking and lets each viewer determine the story that the pot has to tell.

Illustrated is a large and elegant mumyoi tsubo by Ito Sekisui V which clearly shows the rich vermillion clay and the bands or waves of the localized reduction that ring around the pot like some far distant planet seen by the Hubble space telescope. The margins between the red clay body and the grey-blue region is like the rings of Saturn displaying a number of color gradations and hues that the photo hints at, but is best seen in person. Though I say this quite often, this is another pot that appears quite simple at first glance, but as you take the time to see what it has to say, you realize it is anything but simplicity and certainly nothing that is common.

(Photo provided and used with the kind permission of a collector.)