THE CHOICE

A couple weeks back I noticed that Jeff Oestreich was having a sale off his website and since I have been looking for a couple of yunomi for a while, it seemed to be excellent timing. My wife and I each choose one and just received two very nice thrown and altered yunomi, made square and additionally faceted giving each piece quite a bit of movement and verticality. Illustrated is the yunomi I choose having a rather tall and simple form, the slight flare, purposeful facets and elegant slip hakeme just drew me to the piece. As you add in the simple device displayed proudly front and center and its orientation to the pierced foot make a rather tranquil and thoughtful vessel and as a bonus the misty, cloud like flashing brings more depth to the surface which is alive with subtleties and visual texture. I realize this is a humble and simple yunomi but the amount of effort and thoughtfulness that has gone in to this functional vessel elevates the pot and makes it all the more rewarding in its use and quite possibly others may agree and say; "you chose wisely".

FLANGE BOWL

I have been making flange bowls like this for some time now and was reminded, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". This form lends itself to a wide array of sizes from four inches to sixteen of so and the flange with slight alterations makes a really good surface to hold on to with bare hands or kitchen mitts. I have been making this form for almost over two decades now and each and every one is enjoyable to throw, alter and tool though as you can see in the picture I normally have to go in and clean up the edges and "sharpen" the altered depressions. The altered depressed waves certainly help add a sense of movement to the bowl which seems to be in perpetual motion whether filled with mashed potatoes of not. On top of being a rather versatile style of bowl this also lends itself to almost every glaze and glaze combination that I use, in this case likely to be medieval green and temmoku where some combos may be better than others this together with the saffron and the Oribe surfaces are among my favorites. Admittedly this is another simple  bowl form with simple decoration but it does everything I intended it to do from function to just looking good with some fruit or detritus from the day collected all in one place.  

I can dream; "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."  Aristotle

AKI-HENKO

Perfect for the season, this flattened grasses henko converses rather naturally about fall with its deep rich red tones and somewhat mysterious qualities the results of fire and a hand full of other essential elements; water, earth and air. This evocative henko was made by Mino potter, Hori Ichiro how relies on the wood fired experience to add layers of qualities to his pottery, a task at which he has more than excelled. The pot was first thrown and then paddled flat to create the form and with some simple iron slip and Shino glaze of varying thickness, Hori has painted a rather Rimpa-esque pot that would as easily sprung from the 17th century as it did from the 21st. As you can easily see, there is a distinct moodiness to this piece, it reminds me of the atmosphere from a Japanese ghost movie as set up by Mizoguchi Kenji balancing mystery and pathos in this case on the three dimensional form.    

This somber fall henko (aki-henko) is rather typical of the "decorated" works made by Hori Ichiro relying on slip decoration using carving or resist to bring the design to life under his various Shino surfaces and using layering of the glaze to create various effects and moods that turn each piece in to a three dimensional storyteller. On a side note, I took quite a few pictures of this piece quite a while back but didn't check them while I still had access, some of the images are slightly out of focus but I think I have more than enough to put together a video slideshow at some point in the future. More latter?

THE ORIGINAL CLAY

In some respects, this is a simple form and surface, both honed through trial and error, practice after all makes perfect. Made out of a highfire stoneware clay, the bowl was constructed to be double-walled, hollow to define the recessed pool area creating the Fujiyama silhouette and creating this unique look. The vessel was then glazed in a wonderful ash glaze and fired where the final process created an evocative surface of reflective and refractive rich crackled green with streams pouring into the recess accumulating in to an otherworldly pool of pure gem like glass all finished off with a handmade, custom wood lid. Completing this mizusashi is a Rimpa influenced narration of time and space with mountain, sea and moon creating both mood and connection to a viewers experience, a tether from past to present. As I said, seems simple enough but if you consider the basic idea, the construction, careful drying, glazing, firing and then the addition of the gold sickle moon and the creation of the custom form fitting mizusashi lid and matching ceramic knob. I think it clear that the use of the term simple is quite the misnomer in regards to all that is involved from concept to completion. It should be noted that none of the above doesn't even consider the idea, the genesis of form which is no easy task, from beginning to maturity, there is nothing simple in that line of development and the number of pieces created through trial and error to get to its current manifestation.      

Seeing this piece, I have to admit, my mind easily conjures up visions of some  Rimpa or Nihonga painting or even some old waka or haiku poem in which a deep pool reflects the majesty of Mount Fuji. In this case, the small sea or deep pool is created out of clay and covered in an emerald coating of ash (haiyu) in which the silhouetted vision of Fujiyama is hidden until the lid is removed. In fact in a brief email exchange with Kato Koji I asked him about the inspiration behind his closed form vessels and mizusashi and he confirmed my thoughts; "The water jar is a work that has been made with the motif of the impression of looking into the sea or river" and in this case reflecting perhaps the most iconic image from Japan, Fuji-san.          

In my communications with Kato-san I was able to understand more about his work and approach to pottery that would seem to center around having a tremendous reverence for the traditional and local materials of Gifu Prefecture and the Mino tradition. The clays are blended for maximum effect  which includes local "mountain" clays and he has developed a palette of glazes that best suit his needs to express his thoughts regarding the traditions he works in even where they are oriented to a rather modern sense. Currently he is engaged in experimenting with new clays to help lighten the weight of pots that are increasing in scale that continue to work well in the fierce environment of the anagama and still work well with existing and potentially future glazes which he uses. It is also clear to see that there are elements of influence that have trickled in to his work from his master, Kato Kozo as well as the adventurous works of Kamoda Shoji and Kuriki Tatsusuke, two potters that he discussed as further influences to his work.         

Beyond Kato's creative vessels and objects, his roots go back to traditional Mino pottery including a wide array of "using" pots and chadogu where he also produces strong Oribe works using a variety of styles from Ao-Oribe to Narumi-Oribe. His chawan are highly regarded and he has won a number of awards for his chawan including the Grand Prize for his work at a chawan exhibition in 2007 with several other awards along the years. Despite his affinity for these modern vessels and forms that push at the boundaries of Mino tradition Kato Yoji is well entrenched in his "inheritance" from generations working before him at his family kiln which he now runs and makes use of both a traditional wood fired anagama and gas kilns, each chosen for specific needs and objectives be they traditional chadogu or modern vessels.     

If you look at Kato Yoji's departure from the age old qualities of the tradition and his kiln, the work shows an outside the box thinking that infuses bits and pieces of what has already transpired together with a modern understanding or what clay can do and say, its potential having only the limitations of its plasticity, technology, physics and creativity. Admittedly  some contemporary pots seem to defy what Newton and Einstein thought immutable Kato Yoji's works seem to be rather grounded in a somewhat conservative vessel orientation though beset by desiccation, antiquity and the very cycle of nature from birth, decay and rebirth . Interestingly enough, for some of his works, the surfaces and construction seems as if it can be changing before your very eyes with areas missing, decaying and creating vast negative space where all of this just adds more to the objects and vessels and gives them an edge forged from old traditions but looking distantly in to the future.

  I thought it would be remiss of me if I didn't mention Kato Yoji also has a rather impressive track record for both exhibitions and shows  including in China as well as juried and invitational exhibitions all around Japan where he has won a number of awards for his chadogu and vessels. Collected throughout Japan and abroad, his works are also published in a number of catalogues including but not limited to the following;   

CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS IN MINO; Old Gives Rise To New (1997) Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum   

MINO CERAMICS NOW 2004, Museum of Modern ceramic Art, Gifu    

MINO, The 30th Anniversary Directory of the Mino Ceramic Art Association  (1992)   

In conclusion it is probably best to let Kato Yoji sum up his simple philosophy in a single sentence;    

"I use the technique of Yakijime and Haiyu, which bring out the character of the raw material: the original clay, which is infused with the power of nature, Japan's history and culture, and the realities of the present." . ( Kato Yoji  from the MINO DIRECTORY 1992)  

(The first illustration is of the Fujiyama mizusashi, a somewhat eccentric piece but functional none the less, the second illustration is of a more natural, modern vessel that was illustrated in CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS IN MINO; Old Gives Rise To New (1997) and is not my picture but I thought it worth showing the two varied approaches.)

 

IT TAKES TWO

This is a simple project that started with an email and then several more, it takes two people to get a project started and for me it takes two to get the exact right feel that I am after. Admittedly, neither look all that interesting at the moment but hopefully when fired it will be a different story. The idea for this jar was a small illustration from a comic book of all places and is intended as a gift and the customer is still considering the surface which will be one of four possible glaze combinations, hopefully the first try will be the charm. If the first jar works out than I will have the second jar to  glaze in a different surface at some future point and if you never see these again, well I bet you can guess the outcome! I like these odd out of left field projects, nothing all that complicated and I do like to throw and getting a commission to come right together from concept to completed piece is its own reward even if this doesn't allow me to buy a remote island somewhere near Fiji.    

"It takes two to make a thing go right, It takes two to make it outta sight...." Rob Base

UNUSUAL ENCOUNTER

I have to be perfectly honest, I am not very inclined to use the term "rare" and when exactly it should come in to play, instead I think it safe to say that this particular pot is unusual and encounters may be few and far between. Over the years I have seen  a handful of this particular style of Oni-Hagi by Tsukigata Nahiko where the glaze is thick and white in certain respects much like that of the Late Miwa Kyuwa and Miwa Kyusetsu XI, the pots were a couple of chawan, a few cylindrical vases, a mizusashi and this geometrically inclined te-oke hanaire.       

Looking a bit like the form was hacked out of a block of clay kurinuki style, this pot was thrown and then worked squared, faceted and had texture and a handle applied to finish off the study, stoic and potent pot completed with a carefully and painterly applied coating of this thick, luscious Oni-Hagi glaze. As you can see the use of bare clay and slight texture adds a dimension of casualness to the pot while the heavy, curdled and crawled texture of the white glaze compliments the form and adds dimension, topography that animates the vase. I think I should also point out some of the small details that keep this form fresh and animated from the curved planes at the very top of the pot to the careful and restrained use of texture on portions of the form and the thick and rough clay formed when the pot was faceted which adds considerable stability and visual weight to the vase that likely would be lesser for its omission; all details that help construct the whole. In the end it goes without saying that this pot is an exercise in line and texture, a slight departure from the more curvilinear forms that Tsukigata Nahiko is best known for but well within his ability to see and understand form especially under the weight of thick glazes, a skill at which he had mastered long before this pot was even considered.

EDO STYLE

Over the years I have seen a number of bottle forms very similar to the illustrated one from old classic Edo period pieces to their modern interpretations being made in Tamba. The forms and proportions of these ship's tokkuri can vary as well as their scale from small tokkuri size to large pots over 16" in height though this particular one measures a solid 12.5" tall and has somewhat simple lines that manage to result in a rather dramatic presentation. This Tamba bottle was made by Nishibata Tadashi and was dipped in an ash glaze prior to firing letting the natural ash atmosphere take over in completing the overall landscape of the piece. 

There are two distinct types of ash runs on the surface, one a bit dry and olive in nature and the other a glassy green terminating in bidoro drips at various points on the pot. The movement of the ash down the bottle juxtaposed against the purple-red fire color of the clay brings the form to life and makes for a rather rich landscape and gives me the feeling that I am looking at a horizontal style kakejiku scroll made of clay and ash. Though you will have to take my word for it, my wife had actual, real flowers in the vase for a couple of hours the other day and there is a potent completeness to the piece while in use and perhaps a hint of Edo style, I just wish I had taken some photos.

LATITUDE

I am pretty lucky that most galleries I send work to give me a certain amount of latitude in terms of what I send them. There is guidance based on what sells best for them in terms of styles and decoration but the amounts of super-specific items is left to me Admittedly this works out quite well allowing me to build a good rhythm in working and planning out what needs to be decorated while wet and what can wait until it is dry or bisque. This group picture was part of probably two dozen bowls made in three sizes though only two sizes are shown in the photo ranging from 2 to 6lbs with 8 of the bowls being covered in black slip and then carved, tebori style in these XO patterns. By breaking all the bowls in to three groups of eight it makes it easy to work through smaller groups of eight in the abstrakt resist, B&W slip and carved designs all in one sitting and as I have noted before, there is nothing that complicated in this process but it certainly makes for an enjoyable way to map out a cycle. Throwing, tooling and decorating work and then getting pots ready for the bisque concluding in a glaze firing, honestly nothing beats the humbling experience of unloading a kiln with a nearly 100% success rate which happens far less often then I would like to admit.

OUT OF THE FIRE

I always enjoy handling a "new" pot by Mino potter, Mizuno Takuzo, his work is built for function, practicality and for just the right amount of intriguing allure plucked right out of the fire. Having arrived here just today this robust Seto-Guro chawan is no different with a form thrown to capture the movement of the wheel, the slightly curdled surface offers just the right amount of texture to please both hand and eye while the interior is mostly smooth black to make it quite easy on the tea whisk. There are a few semi-dry areas to the glaze as to be expected but the majority has a nice wetness to the surface with a distinct teapool and bare clay exposed where a foot was tooled to complicate the overall piece. This pot was fired to red hot temperatures and then with long-handled tongs it was pulled, hikidashi style from the kiln and after a few moments plunged in to water to lock in the color and texture of the surface. Though Mizuno Takuzo was accomplished at a variety of styles, he was named Intangible Cultural Property of Toki for his exacting dedication to his Seto-Guro technique. If you look carefully you can see the remnants of the tong marks in the very center of the photograph which just adds to the black landscape of this chawan.

OLD WAYS

Emerging from the shadows and coated in a nice layer of ash and glass, this Shigaraki chaire reminds me of those antique feudal pieces that you can see in museums, especially in and around Shigaraki. There is as with many of these pieces, a timeless quality, a sense of antiquity where pots had strong, practical and purposeful forms and on a good day a rather well fired surface. This chaire was made by Tani Seiuemon who had for years studied and collected old pots and was dedicated to making Shigaraki-yaki in the "old ways" right down to building an anagama based on old Muromachi period designs. 

Using local Shigaraki clay and woods favored for such uncomplicated surfaces, there are many of the characteristics of the earlier archetypes in Tani's pottery from the way the clay is handled, to posture and the various marks and spatula work. I think it may be safe to say Tani Seiuemon's  works don't have the bold charisma of Tsuji Seimei or the flare and playfulness of Suzuki Goro but when it comes down to simplicity, honesty and practicality his pots are first on my list for use and for adding a magical and solitary sense of antiquity to a shelf in an otherwise modern environment.