NAGANO HAIKABURI

When I first saw this photo I thought that it had many of the characteristics of modern Echizen wood fired pottery but once it arrived a clearer (?) picture of its origin became quite evident. This wood fired chawan is in its signed box which reads; HAIKABURI CHAWAN, TAKAHASHI AKIRA who lives, works and teaches in Nagano more than a stone's throw from either Echizen, Shigaraki or Iga. Despite the location, I stand by my initial impression that it has that Echizen look and as you can see in this picture it is clearly well fired in an anagama kiln with a generous and simple form that has that Ido style appeal with a rugged and ash coated surface from top to bottom and inside as well. According to a brief statement from his 2010 Matsuzakaya exhibition, Takahashi uses a combination of hardwoods, oak and elm fired at 1300 degrees Celsius to achieve the "the shine and color" on the naturally fired pottery creating his own rustic landscape that he prefers. I am sure that some of Takahashi Akira's vision for his surface landscapes comes from living at the base of the "the Japanese Alps where he can see Mount Jonen, Mount Yari and Mount Shirouma from his studio on a clear day".

MCG-12-20

This is one of those spur of the moment, last minute test ideas I have been playing around with which I have designated MCG-12-20 that is basically composed of two glazes, one a manganese glaze and the other an alkaline clear glaze (of my own making). I first tried this on stoneware and it ended up a horrible mess so I have moved on to this stoneware/ porcelain clay body mix that I am also testing and this seems to be where I am at the moment. As you can see the blackish surface is punctuated by areas of manganese gold drifting across the soft, almost satin landscape of the piece. I am liking what is happening thus far and am more than surprised the glaze hasn't run off the pot but this is just a small test cup perhaps 2" x 3" and we will see what happens next on a larger teabowl form. Not to start 2021 as a pessimist but I don't think I can tell you how many tests looked promising at this stage only to crash and burn, some catastrophically in the next stage of testing. Time will tell, next stage, teabowl, go big(ger) or go home!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021!

Hoping for a wonderful and happy New Year for everyone, everywhere! Detail shot from a large Kutani hachi by Hasegawa Sojin.

SILVER & GOLD

What is silver on the outside and gold on the inside, well based on the chawan illustration the answer could in fact be a Banura Shiro chawan. Perhaps it has something to do with growing up with a lacquer artist for a father but this kuro-chawan has silver and gold applied in a manner that is vaguely reminiscent of rubbed negoro or even kanshitsu style lacquer though modified and adapted stylishly to his work. Banura who worked in Iga is well known for his graphic painted pottery which as you think about it many of these pieces seem to spring from lacquer designs applied to simple yet evocative three dimensional forms. This particular chawan reminds me of an Edo period creation going beyond the ordinary chadogu expectations and combining a rugged and purposeful form and glaze with just the right degree of luxury and aristocratic nobility. As you can see in this short video slideshow the silver and gold are not overly bright or thickly applied striking a balance between too much and just the right amount and as you reflect on the work of Banura Shiro you will recognize that he had made a career out of doing just that. Enjoy the slideshow. 

LEFT OVERS

Over time, there always seems to be some pots that just don't end up getting in either the bisque or glaze firings and sometimes both. My last terra cotta bisque/glaze firing ended up being a group of mismatched left overs from slipware to tebori that truth be told didn't make for a very good fit in an effort to use as much space in the kiln as possible and the oldest piece may have dated back to March.  This medium size terra cotta tebori tray form is just one such example and when I took this photo the bulk of the carving had been completed but the few finer details for the birds had not been finished yet. I usually wait until the clay is almost bone dry to add sgraffito decoration with a sharpened pin tool. Though not exactly like the Island of Misfit Toys, I will have to make specific pieces in the coming months to fit with these recently firing pot to keep them from seeming like they are oddballs and one-offs. Maybe 2021 should be the year where I do a better job planning out the firings so that these poor forgotten pots just don't sit around and collect dust.

SEASON'S GREETINGS!

I wanted to wish everyone Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays, a very happy new year and the annual airing of the grievances during the Festivus for the rest of Us. We are also hoping that 2021 is "a far, far better year than has ever come before". Chocolate holiday truffles accompanying a shinsha mizusashi by Nakajima Hitoshi which seems festive enough in my book.

GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST

Illustrated is a plate, a ghost of Christmas past as it were and a piece we use from time to time, though carefully especially around various Holidays. This was a gift from my wife back in the earliest days of the internet, purchased from Robert Yellin close to when he first appeared on Trocadero, a virtual marketplace. Mindy picked this piece for me for two reasons, first off look at the clear emerald ash glaze across the surface which accentuates the vivid texture, the second reason which pools here and there and in the crevices of the clay. The box is simply signed HAIYU HACHI, YOSHIAKI  (SHUMEI) and always makes the contents of the piece look just a bit nicer than they appear. Despite the texture this ash glazed plate is rather practical, a good size for two people, easy to use and as the covered surface peeks out from whatever it may hold, it just makes the whole experience that much more satisfying especially when it involves smoked salmon, dill mayonnaise, capers and thinly sliced onion.

ECB TS8

This faceted on the wheel teabowl was yet another piece made out of an experimental clay body that I was messing about with, this was the last piece from the batch. This bowl was thrown and quickly faceted using a sharp splinter of fire wood that was hanging around and has served as a rather useful if impromptu clay tool. Though this looks quite brown in the left photo, it is a greener tone in natural light (as seen on the right) and all the grog inclusions and shelves caused by the quick faceting add quite a bit to the surface making for a much more animated and interesting visual. I ran out of this clay rather quickly throwing teabowls and a couple of small covered pieces once the test cups came out of the glaze kiln and need to get motivated to make up more of this clay body which will end up with the ominous sounding designation; ECB TS8.

ONI-SHINO REVEAL

If I had known that this recent storm was going to affect our area as much as it has I would have asked the sender of this pot to hang on just a couple more days. Though I had seen a couple of so-so photos (sorry B.) I was waiting for the Oni-Shino reveal as I was aware it was also packed in its own blue suit. As fate would have it, it arrived safe and sound and this is the first photo of the piece that I have taken besides those of the outside box and interior packing. All decked out in its very own custom shifuku, this Oni-Shino vase clearly announces its surface of thick, crackled feldspar Shino with areas of iron pouring out small gaps all coated in a thin sheen of natural wood ash for the intense firing. There is no mistaking the works of Tsukigata Nahiko from those influenced by his pottery in his own day well into the 21st century. As the saying goes, often imitated but rarely duplicated I am constantly amazed that the combination of simple feldspar, iron and natural wood ash make for such a unique and idiosyncratic surface in the hands of Tsukigata which seemingly can not be truly duplicated. Adding to the fine coat of green ash is a nice ring of crustier ash around the mouth and a bit more for good measure of the face of the piece. The pot, like the cat is of course now out of the bag as it were and fully photographed and I will post an overall photo of this rather unique hanaire at some point in the near future.

AKA-CHAWAN

I had this "AKA-CHAWAN" pass through here on its way to its new home a while back and honestly I rarely pass up the opportunity to handle the work of Konishi Heinai II if I can help it. Konishi is equally adept at making Raku style pottery and Iga-yaki and despite the box simply reading, red chawan this is very much Raku style pottery. I really admire the large tapering, vertical form with wonderfully tactile spatula work with a surface that is occasionally punctuated by black carburized spots making their way through the glaze all the while perched on a small yet stable kodai. Though the bowl has a well worked form and surface there is just enough curve and texture to make for a rather seductive chawan that infuses certain elements from the work of Koetsu and Chojiro while like a great chef, folding in the right characteristics and nuances of the modern age in which this bowl was produced. I won't go so far as to say this is a perfect Raku chawan but I'll let the viewer decide how far to go in the admiration of Konishi's Raku creations.