BEAR TRACKS

I think it would be safe to say that as you survey the work of Kumano Kuroemon that the work is bold, masculine, adventurous and spontaneous from the use of clay to the use and application of glazes, not to mention his near herculean firings. Illustrated is a detail of an older Kumano vase, probably made in the 90s that shows off all of these attributes and includes a casual "bear track" where he held the pot while glazing it just adding to the immediacy of the process which once fired is readily recognizable. This particular vase is over a foot tall and the form is rough and imbued with a sense of having just happened, fresh off the wheel, the application of glaze though well practiced shows a casual, off handed quality where control and precision are missing from his vocabulary or rather he has just decided to throw those particular page out. Covered over in a thick feldspathic Shino glaze, Kumano's handprint acted as a resist when more glaze was applied and later during the firing just the right amount of ash helped further paint the surface and accentuate the bear track as the thin glaze was coated in a natural accumulation creating a brown and sometimes crusty texture. As Kumano fires his kiln with a dedicated intensity the surface is also covered in running green ash as well as pools of green glass filling the nocks and crannies across the surface of the vase. Though this is a simple, singular detail shot of this Kumano Kuroemon vase I think it is safe to say that this is exactly the type of bear track most pottery collectors wouldn't mind encountering.

THE HUE BLUE

For a good part of my life I never really thought much about the color blue and even when I started making pottery, blue was not paramount in my decoration or glazing scheme. I think this changed after two separate encounters where the hue seemed to just sneak up on me, the one was a large blue pot by Takezu Toshiko and the other was my first trip to the Kawai Museum in 1990 where like red glazes, it became abundantly clear that blue had its place just not on every last pot. After those encounters I realized I had to reconsider blue and embrace the fact that cobalt can be your friend and has its time and place.     

Illustrated is a glaze that has had a profound affect on my glazing, gosu and in this case on a fat, voluminous vase form by Kawai Hisashi. Though not exactly a large pot its appearance betrays its size and the application of the gosu glaze is just perfect for the form and decoration. Thrown out of a slightly coarse white stoneware, Kawai Hisashi has carved the surface to maximum affect and bringing movement and life to the pot, articulated in dimension and visually, the gosu becomes deep blue pools and trails where it fills recesses and occupies the vertical channels adding even more depth to the surface. I must admit, gosu or not, it is enjoyable studying the works of the Kawai school though Kanjiro is even nicer but seeing this blue put to such good use shows that the life's work of a master, lives on in his students and students' students especially as they find their own style and voice as this carved gosu tsubo clearly shows.  

"Blue thou art, intensely blue; Flower, whence came thy dazzling hue?"  James Montgomery 

NON PRAEVIDERE EXITUS

Illustrated is a detail shot of a thrown, squared and assembled vase form that I made and then glazed in a Kuro-Oribe style glaze. To be honest, what I like about working this way is that I rarely get what I am expecting from the kiln, in this case where the iron was sprayed via atomizer, it ran down the upper section of the vase and ran down the lugs on either side creating this feathery blue-black effect. I have to admit this is a perfect accent to both of the lugs and adds to the depth and movement of each side of the vase but moving forward I wonder just how predictable this would be. In reality I guess if I spray the living daylights out of the upper section or simply the lugs I am bound to get some extreme running of glaze as almost every glaze I use can be runny given the right circumstances. At any rate I won't complain as this works well with this somewhat wonky, thrown and altered piece and makes itself right at home.

PURE ANTIQUITY

When I fist saw this classical chawan named "100 Wells" on the box lid, all I could do was think about the pure antiquity that the surface and form exude, it could be old or new but the impact is the same. Thrown out a blended white stoneware, this form is as antique in execution as its predecessors and the archetype that acts as its foundation where the process is as meaningful as the art. Once thrown and tooled a thick, viscous slip was painted sparingly on this bowl in hakeme style using a brisk and stiff brush and over time in both the drying and firing process has cracked creating a vivid spectacle and textural tour de force for multiple senses. As with many chawan and pottery made by Kyoto native Kimura Morinobu his glazes are created from, rendered from various vegetation that he burns himself to create a large array of ash glazes practiced and perfected over a lifetime of creating pottery. In this case, the bowl is covered in a  mostly transparent glaze that is infused with areas, patches of white and light sky blue bring the appearance of floating clouds over the cracked and punctuated by iron spotting surface that presents an honest and humble bowl that is locked in a visual struggle between now and then.

BREIVITY

Illustrated is the 15 minute start to finish mallet vase I made a while back as an exercise, now fired. Thrown out of a sandy stoneware and assembled the base was quickly faceted and now is glaze in a saffron or iron yellow glaze over a Hagi style white which shows off the sand inclusions and pronounced lines quite well. The iron yellow glaze ended up a bit thinner than normal and I have some effects on the surface that I haven't seen before that I would like to repeat including the brooding areas of dark, reddish-ochre patches that run down the surface in several areas. The iron yellow glaze was poured over the surface as opposed to my usual dipping method and you can see where the built in boundary around the base ended up keeping some of the glaze from running off the pot and sticking to the shelves. I think this form came out quite well considering the brevity of its creation and maybe next time the next one will come out a bit better yet reminding me of a maxim to live by; "anything worth doing is worth doing fast".

INPIRED JOURNEY

This Raku chawan is a bowl that I had here quite some time back and despite the prolific nature of the potter, this chawan is memorable for its alluring landscape and sensuous form that just belongs in the hands. As is probably apparent this bowl is an utsushi-mono of the Kuro-Raku "KAMIYA" chawan made by Sasaki Shoraku III and made in the style of Honami Koetsu. As I mentioned there are a lot of varying copies of the chawan of Honami Koetsu and Raku Chojiro and their descendants but this bowl had that something that gave it a bit more than being a mere copy. Perhaps it is the subtle display of exuberance that this bowl is imbued with that sets it apart coupled with a rich and lustrous surface that if you can imagine alludes to some long forgotten landscape scroll about an inspired journey filled with discovery along the way. Well at least that is how I see it, what do you see?

BOOK COVER

I have this ongoing conversation with several collectors that I correspond with and one issue that comes up is if there was a book written about your collection, however grandiose or humble, what would be the picture on the book cover? Over the years I have seen a surprising array of pieces put forth for such a distinguished spot but admittedly for most collectors of modest means, though it may be the best pot, most significant piece or the most important to the owner but it's more a mental exercise than a reality. I should mention that over the years I have had a number of pots shown to me or handled, some even photographed that could easily be the book cover shot and of these a number have even been included in museum shows but at the end of the day, despite how good a pot is, what number would actually qualify for that sacred piece that makes the cut.   

That being said, recently this large and bold Hori Ichiro Shino tsubo passed my way, a pot as much ethereal painting as it is clay object. At first glance, it is the impressive scale that you focus in on which gives way to the strength of form which is articulated with long, sweeping vertical facets. It is the movement with the pot and the carefully crafted surface that brings the medieval Rimpa style imagery to life, you can sense, almost hear the wind rustling through the grasses conjuring up memories of THE TALE OF GENJI or any number of Kurosawa or Inagaki film. The brilliant use of form, decoration, glaze and firing give way to a work that is the total, complete package and easily worthy of being on the book cover, now all you need to do is find another 50 or 60 pieces that aren't intimidated by the first photo that catches your eye on the book shelf to finish off the book.

ADAPTIVE

It is pretty clear as you look at this glaze surface that the inspiration comes from the original and unique Oni-Iga surfaces first pioneered by Tsukigata Nahiko back in the late 1970s and early 1980's. What is also clear are all of the differences from Tsukigata himself, the form is not quite as rugged or immediately persuasive, the surface is perhaps not quite as rich and some of the other details from how the lip and kodai are finished are unique to this potter and this chawan. Catering to her own vision of this style, Ayukai Kogestsu made this Oni-Iga chawan in a slightly less masculine style though it does have an earthy expression and an eminently usable appearance. 

I think as I study (well studied) this chawan there is a softer countenance to the bowl, it is less masculine and less aggressive and has a smoother atmosphere which easily settles down in the hands for a rather comforting experience. Like her master, the use of this glaze style has produced a wide array of variations about the surface from rich iron blooms to the plains of dark area being broken up by running ash to tendrils of white feldspar breaking through the surface making for a visual menagerie of all the possibilities of Oni-Iga. Though very much in the style of Tsukigata Nahiko, Ayukai Kogetsu has adapted this surface and techniques to her way of working in clay and as such she has bent the idiom to her vision and sense of a rich and apparently adaptive style.

IN THE GROOVE

I ended up making a few of these taller citadel covered jars for a couple of different galleries a while back and have now realized I don't have any photographs of the finished piece though part of me considered this small group one-offs. Though this is just classic forgetfulness in point of fact, only a small percentage of things I make do get photographed to act as future reference or to be able to show customers and galleries. These raised foot covered jar were made of terra cotta and decorated with carved XOXO pattern, tebori style before being finished with a thin clear glaze. Not that it was essential to have finished photos of these pieces but in retrospect it would have been a bit useful more so that telling someone, please imagine this photo with a shiny surface of transparent glaze. I am sure a lot of potters (crafts people) can understand as you get going and getting in the groove, especially making 'stock" pieces, the biggest thought is getting the work made, decorated, bisque, glazed, packed and delivered. This mindset makes it easy to forget even some new ideas and forms, like this covered jar but at the end of the day there are usually quick sketches or pictures like this one taken on my phone that outline the details well enough to make another if the need should arise.

TEMPORARY TRANSPORT

Illustrated is a simple yet easy to identify Shigaraki tebachi by Kohyama Yasuhisa made in Showa 48 (1973) acting as a temporary transport for a lacquered Daruma set which is in a fact a sake drinking game. As for the tebachi, this piece is very simple in execution being made out of a coarse, sandy and rocky clay which has a dry ash deposited over the surface with areas of very nice hi-iro and lots of tsuchi-aji flavor about the piece. One rather eye appealing feature is the botamochi style resisted circle on the flat of the interior that shows off the rich clay surrounded by fly ash that coupled with the classic Kohyama interrupted facets around the form help define this humble piece. I guess I also forgot to mention that the reason I am sure of the date is that this Shigaraki tebachi is well illustrated in an early exhibition catalogue from that year and though the Daruma may not exactly seem like willing participants in this photo shoot, I can tell you it was my pleasure to have this piece around for a short while.