HAKU-ENYU CHAWAN

Broad yet inviting, this snowy white haku-enyu chawan was made by Iwabuchi Shigeya at the height of his pottery making career. Thrown and covered in a thich, crackle slip, sometimes combed, wax resisted or otherwise decorated, this surface was left undisturbed making it a perfect candidate for the wood fueled salt firing that the pot was subjected to. The landscape of the pot is certainly activated by all of the cracking and crackling and held taut by the richly blushed lip that encircles the chawan. The occasional gohonde spot and the dark, iron rich spots punctuate the form where the bowl was held while dipping the piece in slip adding to the simple appearance of this classic Twentieth Century Kyoto chawan.

And just because it is Wednesday;

TOP OPTIONS

It is certainly a simple enough idea but since I first started making pots with two lids, mostly with varying knobs, I have been surprised at how often an order comes in and the two-lid option is asked for. In theory and practice there is usually very little difference in the two lids but I have also been aware what a different look can be achieved by just the difference in the knob and in the case of this pot the thrown in knob  and the to be attached ring knob will finish each respective lid. In other examples the lids can vary quite a bit more with the creation of a concave lid and a convex lid for the same pot or for cap lids a pair with and without a knob. As I said it is a simple enough concept but there is something pleasing about altering the conversation you are having with a pot and this may be the easiest way to do so.

EXOTIC CAMOUFLAGE II

Barely two weeks after I posted up a chawan by Sasaki Yuzuru this mizusashi showed up and though difficult as heck to photograph it is the same technique as the former. I am not sure how to classify such occurences; coincidence, happenstance or serendipity but this does seem to happen with some regularity and the logicical side says, someone saw the original post and decided it was a good time to conitue on the path of downsizing. This particular lobed yuteki mizusashi appears to be mostly dark with hints of yellow peeking out but with every turn the yellow shows up through its dusted and spotted surface of dark iridescent spots giving it a real three dimensional appearance and looking just as much like exotic camouflage as the chawan. I will admit this is not exactly a great photograph but it is as good as I could get and hopefully lets the viewer glimpse in to how the pot appears in person as it is nothing short of amazing. Like the previous piece there is truly no doubt who made this mizusashi and the skill and sensitivty it takes to pull off such a noble pot.

REVISITED TEXTURE

At this point it may come as no surprise that I like texture and using it to help articulate and animate a pot. This particular revisited texture seen as  both greenware and "green ware", is something that I first tried my hand at way back at Cleveland State. I really like the sense of geological layering that it resembles and it truly has its own unique feel in the hand, every layer, crack and separations speaks to the hand as well as the eye. In this particular case I used the iron based stoneware that I have been making up in small batches and glazed it in one of my Oribe variants to allow the clay to speak through the glaze without any interruptions. As you can see the interior is as smooth as ever and unimpeded from the intent of the bowl but the exterior is as great a contrast as I can remember in recent memory.

ORIBE MENTORI

I received this large and  imposing Oribe mizusashi by long time Mino potter, Hayashi Shotaro on Saturday, a collector friend has been downsizing for a number of years and thought this was next in line. Thrown out of a fine Mino clay, much of the surface was aggressively and confidentally cut, even ripped away to create a surface of wonderful flat planes and rough areas of faceted clay which was then glaze in Hayashi's rich Oribe glaze. The surface shows a profound array of tonal variations with areas of deep greens and thinner areas showing almost to the buff of the clay. The lid is thrown and also cut away to create a well matched surface and angular and purposeful knob and sits wonderfully in the deep set recess which also plays host to several deep green drips that are suspended defying both gravity and time. I took a group of photos and built a slideshow video of this piece and hopefully captured the strength and power of the mizusashi which still bares its exhibition sticker on the bottom of the pot.

You can see more of this oribe mizusashi over on my Trocadero marketplace page;
https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1363355/LARGE-SCULPTURAL-ORIBE-MIZUSASHI-BY-HAYASHI-SHOTARO

SATINY SMOOTH

This is an old picture, perhaps from 10 years ago, it recently surfaced as I was looking for another pot on a disc with pottery files. It is funny how there are certain things I remember about pots I have handled and in this case the satiny, smooth texture of the glaze juxtaposed against the slightly coarse clay still stands out in my mind. Though Ningen Kokuho for Seto-Guro, Kato Kozo is also well known for his various Shino and Ki-seto glazes as well as for his rather distinctive tetsu-yu that feels wonderful to the touch and has a very subtle array of effects and sub-textures about the surface. The rich, full form and evocative landscape gives one the impression of cradling a large succulent or at the very least a big ripe persimmon making the chawan that much easier to interact with. Over time I have seen a number of Kato Kozo's tetsu-yu pots from chawan to tsubo and yet this particular piece always springs to mind and makes me think of Japan in the late fall when the persimmons are ripe and ready to pick.

DERVISH

I am not sure exactly when I started making these dervish jars, at least back to CT, they are based on moving images of "whirling dervish" that I saw in movies as a teen, probably about the French Foreign Legion or Chinese Gordon from the movie KHARTOUM. Making the form and keeping the top from collapsing or warping was a challenge at first but I have long since worked out the problems of making them and have fashioned them in stoneware, terra cotta and even the odd one in porcelain now and again. This particular jar was thrown out of terra cotta, black slipped, carved in the "grasses" pattern and then later fired with a clear glaze and the knob of the lid is thrown/tooled to resemble a spindle on a spinning top to try to tie the pieces together. I am not sure what the largest of these jar measured, perhaps 18" across but this one was about 14" or so when fired and the foot a bit broarder than most. Though they are less stable with a smaller foot, the contrast and taper makes for a rather dramatic appearance and makes the piece seem like it is in dramatic motion, whirl on.

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.

SOMETSUKE FUDO

Illustrated is a rather large porcelain sometsuke hachi by one of my favorite modern Japanese painters; Sato Katsuhiko. The bowl is a bit wonky having been thrown a bit unevenly but the wonderful overall floral/ foliage decoration makes a great frame for the fierce (?) Fudo painted in a medallion at the center of the bowl. Having seen a lot of his two-dimensional work and how well constructed the images are, I am always impressed by his ability to orchestrate the surface of a three dimensional object which he does quite well. The use of the cobalt blue decoration of a variety of hues really animates the piece and gives the impression that it was painted with a variety of colors where only the one in varying thicknesses are in use. I never tire of encountering ceramic works by Sato, each one is a playful expression and excercise that is a beauty to use and to just plain admire.

REFLECTION

Ever year on this day I take a pause, a moment of reflection to remember a remarkable potter. A pioneer in firing a traditional anagama, both Shigaraki and Iga pots are left as a testament to the talent, insight and dedication of Furutani Michio. I also take a few moments to reflect on those all too few moments of being at his studio, his warm smile, his nobility and all of those wonderful wood fired pots.