OLD ORIBE SLIPWARE

Now don't get me wrong, over the years I have made quite a few of these black and white slipped, combed pots, especially covered jar but this one is a bit different. In the past the bulk of these pots have been made out of terra cotta with deep amber, yellow or galena green style glazes but this one of several pots decorated in this style was made out of stoneware and destined for a much deeper green in the way of my Oribe glaze, possibly with some iron accents sprayed around the lid and shoulder. The photo of this jar was taken just after the white slip was applied and combed and you can see the wetness of the black. I realize there isn't that great a difference in the current state of appearance between the terra cotta and this stoneware version but I suspect that will change once glazed and fired in the Oribe glaze, though the Old English slipware look is quite wonderful, there is something to be said about the depth and effects of another medieval glaze that originated half way around the world and is as close to the most perfect green I can imagine.

INVESTMENT

As a potter, the very first thing I thought about when I first saw this piece was the amount of time investment in creating the piece. Obviously the first thing was the throwing of the form that was then gently pushed and paddled into a oval with pronounced ridges fore and aft. Allowing for just the right amount of drying to take place, the pattern was worked out around the form and the precise carving of the form took over, time though well spent based on the finished project though it must have been the better part of the potter's day.

 Beyond the potter in me, I am fascinated by the effect of the patterned carving that is brilliantly enhanced by the use of Kato Shinya's Oribe glaze that has created random areas of deep, rich green where glaze has built up at various points around the surface.  Flanked by the deeply carved repeat pattern the form and decoration function exceptionally well together and with each incremental move of the vase (or tsubo if you prefer) the viewer gets a very different perspective with the depth and dimensionality changing as well. The pot is finished off with a well carved/ tooled oval foot complete with the potter's mark and an impressed stamp accompanied by the wood box which has an exhibition label (No.40). 

As a final side note, there was a slightly larger vase of this exact form and surface from a large retrospective show of Kato Shinya's work in 1994 which is also featured briefly in a video segment on the potter produced for japanese television at about the same time. You can see more of this pot by Kato Shinya over on my Trocadero market-place webpage; 

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1463262/LARGE-HAND-CARVED-ORIBE-VASE-BY-KATO-SHINYA 

TIME IN A BOTTLE (KORO)

In some respects, looking at this koro I can see how it seems a bit out of step with the modern ceramic currents pervasive in Japan. I think there are pots that proliferated the ceramic scene around the globe that appear distinctly dated, think about all those "brown" pots made in the US during the 1970s. Being dated isn't a bad thing, all of these pots along the ceramic timeline are moments toward exactly what is happening now either as an evolution or in some instance a backlash to what has gone before. I must admit that I love these mile markers that were made along the way and this sweet little koro is no exception, a style that many consider quaint now was both aesthetically and technically rather well received during its day. This brightly colored, glazed koro was made by Shinkai Kanzan who inherited much of his influences and glaze acumen from his uncle, Seifu Yohei IV and Kiyomizu Rokubei VI, both pioneers during their day who helped establish and steer a number of potters across Japan.  

Thrown out of a slightly off white stoneware, Shinkai used paper resist to create the designs and then stamped slip across the surface before removing the paper and revealing the decoration as seen across the surface. After the pot was bisque, the piece was glazed in a thin layer of a clear glaze and then various oxides were used to paint and color the surface to the affect seen here. Though in many respects a classic pot from the 1970s, the rhythm, balance and movement of the design fit the form perfectly and to my eye, this little pot stands the test of time. Like I said, I like "retro", these pieces fill in the blanks of ceramic history and not to sound too saccharin, a good older pot is like holding "time in a bottle" and what possibly beats that?

THREE BOARDS, THREE BOWLS A PIECE

My wife came down and took this quick picture which is admittedly not the most exciting photo of work in progress. The photo shows board number two with two, 2.5lb shallow bowls made, three bowls to a board and eight bowls needed for an order. I am throwing nine bowls in total with the hope that all goes well with four bowls yet to throw at the time of this picture. I received an email last week for a small order of eight of these bowls and finally got around to throwing them today and though this is not exactly a large order, every order counts and ultimately helps fill the kilns. This group is simple as you can see, the form is well practiced and they will all be tooled in the same manner and glazed in iron yellow with the lips or flanges being dipped  twice to encourage running and presenting a different surface than the interior. Nothing all that complicated, simple form, simple throwing, simple tooling and simple glazing but every day that I can throw is honestly a pretty good day and ending up with another bowl for the cupboard is okay as well.

MEMORIAL DAY 2022

As another year passes, with uncertainty looming around the world I am reminded of the debt I and every American owe those who serve and have served, those who have given their lives for our daily freedoms. This is a debt we can not repay other than to honor their service.   

"If you want to thank a soldier, be the kind of American worth fighting for."  Unknown

COMMON GOAL

Though not immediately discernable , what you are looking at is the interior of a Ko-Mino chawan by Ando Hidetake. As I have mentioned previously this is perhaps my favorite style of his work, there is something enigmatic and elemental about this glazing and Ando uses this technique to great effect. This style is further enhanced by the wood firing process and the addition of ash adhering to the surface during the process and making for a wonderland of small and even subtle details. As is easy to see in the picture, the glaze becomes quite liquid at the height of the firing where gravity plays quite the role in the final appearance perhaps only secondary to the potter and the fire. As the kiln begins to cool, the movement becomes locked in its last moment of movement and then the real attributes begin to form as small crystals and a granular texture forms as the overall temperature drops ever so slowly. The exterior where the ash has landed coalesces into a crusty, semi-dry surface that has some of the sought after qualities of aburaage synonymous with Ki-Seto with rich, deep, golden amber glass on the best fired surfaces. As you can see, this is a wonderful and textural experience creating its own unique microcosm when both alchemy, chemistry, fire and experience all join in toward this common goal.

KEEPING COOL

Made out of locally dug Echizen clay and wood fired, this guinomi exhibits a gem like quality that is of course further enhanced by the rich bidoro drop on the front (?) of this piece. Born into a rather well known pottery family, Yamada Hiroshi is the son of Yamada Kazu and grew up in and around clay, a family where clay permeates the pores and makes its way into the fertile Echizen pottery tradition of the region. This guinomi belongs to a fellow collector in Europe who has an eye for tokkuri and guinomi and this particular piece sits perfectly among the rest of his collection. Like with many of the guinomi that I gravitate toward, this Yamada Hiroshi piece has that "mini-chawan" appearance with a simple yet fluid form, excellent surface and interior and is perched perhaps a bit precariously on a wonderful foot that creates lift to the overall ambiance. I thought the light and casual nature of this Echizen guinomi was perfect as spring moves toward the heat of summer where the contents and quiet aesthetics can contribute to keeping one cool despite its origins in such intense heat.

DRAW TWICE, SLIP ONCE

This illustration shows how I end up making or rather designing a number of the more "complex" slip trailed designs that I use over black slip. Since the technique is essentially a one attempt kind of process I have felt that it is good to get a good idea of the design and then lay it out in thin ink over the black slip before letting the white slip loose on the canvas. This particular design is a rather old one dating back to Cleveland where I was asked to make two large 20"+ platters that would hang for a real estate office. As you can see this plate is covered in a variety of layers of houses that were meant to depict Cleveland Heights and University Heights at the time, I wonder where they are now? I guess it just doesn't hurt to have a plan before you just go ahead and ruin a 20" plate, remember to draw twice and slip once.

SIMPLICITÉ

In the field of pottery, there are lots of potters who specialize in a particular tradition or style, others in a single glaze or a few more and then there are potters who have focused their attention on the glaze materials of which glazes made out of various wood ash is one possibility. One such potter is Kimura Morinobu, the youngest of the three Kimura brothers, Morikazu, Moriyasu and Morinobu who lives and works on the outskirts of Kyoto and collects and burns a wide array of woods (and bushes) to create one of the principle ingredients for his glazes. By burning the materials himself, Morinobu is able to control the unadulterated properties of the ash and work to formulas developed over the coarse of a lifetime of pottery and glaze making. In the end his work is made up of ash and clay and little else except perhaps a bit of water and a fair amount of fire.     

Illustrated is one such piece where the surface originated from locally sourced and prepared wood ash in the form of a thick, luxurious seihakuji glaze coving a simple, functional koro balanced on a stable tripod base. The lid has three simple cut outs in the form of teardrops while the body of the koro is decorated with slight distortions of the surface creating three abstracted plump, ripe persimmons and where the surface is depressed the glaze has filled in creating a rather pleasant visual texture.    

Over the years I have seen quite a few pots by Kimura Morinobu including in both Osaka and Kyoto and what has always appealed to me about his work is the simplicity and practicality of the pieces. Though rather attractive and noble in bearing, his pottery has a inviting appeal where the intended purpose of the piece, the appearance and the attention to use go hand in hand, In turn  this makes them at home with the aesthetic and function that most craft are admired for and sought after in Kyoto be they a simple koro or an article for chanoyu and just about everything else in between.

DNA

Though perhaps best known for his rare and unique yuteki-temmoku chawan, Hayashi Kyousuke is fairly versatile for a specialist. Beyond the yuteki-temmoku, Hayashi makes wonderful work in a modern take on Kuro-Oribe as well as Ki-Seto pottery, a technique learned from his master, Kato Kozo by way of Arakawa Toyozo. The illustrated Ki-seto chawan is about as traditional a chawan in form and surface as they come though the lattice of copper applied to the chawan and now blushing through the surface is very modern and purely Hayashi Kyousuke in creation. This chawan has a welcoming atmosphere, comforting and elegant in its simplicity while the texture of the glaze surface is soft and velvety adding to the calm and contemplative encounter. The chawan is finished off with a kodai that is highly complimentary to the bowl form with just a hint more texture where the crispness of the cut foot is tempered by the glaze itself. Though classic and simple, this Ki-Seto chawan shows not only restraint and a thoughtful use of materials but in its DNA are centuries of the past fused permentantly within a bowl that is perfect for tea in the 21st century.