ECLIPSE

Like some museums and other collectors, we rotate our collection based on a schedule my wife has fit into her XCEL spreadsheet and recently this Tsukigata Nahiko Oni-Shino bowl came out for its limited engagement run through early next year. One criterion we have for all pots that come out of their hype sleep is that they have to still have that something special, that jolt as they come out of their storage boxes. Every now and again as the piece emerges, it would seem either we have changed, matured in out collecting and in that case I work to re-home the piece but in this instance, that is the furthest from the truth. Though extremely biased, I am always excited to see this chawan which I could among my absolutely favorite pieces.       

Feeling like seeing an old friend, I spent some time taking a group of new photos including a series of HBD (Hollywood backdrop) photos to get new perspectives of the piece. This photo uses a picture of the moon that I took a couple of years back as a background which adds just enough light and atmosphere to the chawan to give it a whole new look. I apologize for posting up yet another photo of this bowl but like with a number of other pieces, I find myself eager to see what comes up in the rotation. That being said, for me, there is very little that we own that would “eclipse”* this wonky chawan.

(* Eclipse, see what I did there?!)

WAVES

Looking a bit like continuous waves encircling this covered jar and lid, this is another take on combed slipware. In this case, thrown out of stoneware, covered over in a thin black slip before applying bands of white which were combed after waiting about ten minutes or so. I have added the second photo to try to give a feel for the tapering feel of the form which gets narrower as it goes down to the base before swelling out just a bit. Though the technique is positively medieval and older, using stoneware and my own take on the form, I would like to think this has a somewhat timeless-modern look. Long before moving this technique to higher temperatures, I made use at the high end of the terra cotta range. In that case the clay got fiercely red and dark which admittedly, this stoneware lacks the same appeal, most of which is hidden in glaze including the entire lid and into the gallery as well. This is certainly a simple jar and technique but with most slipwares you get a lot of bang for your buck!

KAZE-MON

This is another one of those odd photos taken while being at the right place at the right time. I don’t quite remember the circumstances but I was getting ready to take photos of my pots that came out of the kiln that morning and when I set up the lighting, this is what I got over on the tansu. Illustrated is the very top of a Wakao Toshisada Nezumi-Shino style “wind-gate” (KAZE-MON) casting a giant shadow on the wall. The greyish, textured glaze, the sukashi, pierced triangle and perfect pure white device work hand in hand with the low lighting and shadow to create an interesting photo. I am not quite sure how I ended up with a light and dark shadow against each other but that coupled with the triangular light spot is its own lesson in geometry. I am sure there are photographers out there that can plan all of these elements without so much as a second thought but for me, this may be the actual definition of serendipity.

HBD

Over the last several weeks we have had mostly overcast skies with intermittent direct and unencumbered sunlight which has led me to fall back on my old HBD (Hollywood Back Drop) photos for something other than white backgrounds. In this case a well fired Shigaraki chaire by Minagawa Takashi is accompanied by a hazy moon from earlier this year. The surface of the chaire is wet and clearly shows the rather quick and random fence design incised around most of the form where the natural ash does the rest of the heavy lifting. This piece is on the large side for a chaire but I must admit it is much lighter than I would have ever expected leading me to ask, how did such a thin pot stand up to the ferocity of a such a heavy firing?

INDIGO

Illustrated is a small covered jar from several firings ago where the firing was about equally split between soda blue, golden amber, Oribe and temmoku & ash pieces. This small combed dervish jar was thrown out of stoneware and coated in slip where the body and upper shoulder are separated by incised lines which also divide the differing textures. The upper shoulder and lid continue the dabbled texture along with some more incised lines and the finial was quickly brushed with slip after seating it in place. There is nothing very complex about this pot though the varying techniques do seem to create bands of texture that help animate the piece a bit but perhaps the most eye-catching feature is the rich almost indigo blue that has collected around the bottom, the widest part of the jar that is so rich and deep as to add just a hint of mystery to the piece. I really enjoy making these small covered jars, they fit between larger serving pieces and to some degree, you are never quite sure how they will turn out, each one is its own unique little universe.

NIGHT SKY

Perhaps what draws me to the simple and unpretentious yuteki-temmoku chaire is just how much it reminds me of the stars shining in the night sky. The clay and form of this chaire are rather classic as is the surface to a point but the potter, Awa Sachio has distributed the small iron burst to good effect, they are neither to cluttered or too sparse and make for a rather engaging and uncomplicated aesthetic, perfect for chanoyu or as a simple ornament on a shelf or desk, meant to enrich an environment.  

Awa Sachio started his pottery studies in Shigaraki in the early 1970s before moving on and studying in Tamba after which he set up his own studio and kiln in 1977. Though I have seen only a couple of his pieces in person, there is lots to survey across the internet showing his focused dedication to temmoku and yuteki-temmoku, simple in concept and execution which just speaks to the subtle complexities of the surfaces, inviting and quite comforting.

AMALGAM

There is no missing exactly who the potter is when you are looking at a piece by Fujioka Shuhei from his earliest to latest creations. Fujioka’s work has a naturally heavy appearance with the attitude and posture of being stoic to a fault, the blocky appearances and manner in which the pot is formed and articulated is almost singularly ascribed to this one potter. This particular pot is thick and sturdy, coerced into a more or less cubic form with a variety of potter’s marks across the surface like scars accrued in the process of the clay being told where to go. Beyond the basic appearance and forms, Fujioka’s firing tends to be rather distinctive as well and in this case the landscape is a mixture of thick and thin green ash married with areas of grey to black due to the charcoal bed built up around the base of the piece during the firing. What is clear from this mizusashi and most of the work of Fujioka Shuhei is the raw strength willed into existence into each pot, a perfect and unique amalgam of potter, clay, process and firing unlike no other.  

“Strength is a matter of the made up mind” - John Beecher

J-JAR

This amber glazed covered jar was a recent order, the photo is really not very good as it was quickly taken just before the pot was packed and shipped out the door. The customer was somewhat specific in that it needed to hold multiple cylindrical items, roughly six inches in length, be glazed in the golden amber and have a somewhat universal yet not distinctly any one place kind of decoration. I came up with the simple stripes and squares idea which was okay and fit the form, the glaze and went with the small, mostly decorative knob. I must admit, though I have made a lot of pots for specific purposes, this was a first as it was intended for the storage of an item best known for its medicinal and recreational use in a number of States. Again, sorry for the hasty picture but I think you likely get the idea what it looks like and what it was made to house.

THROUGH & THROUGH

Looking a bit like this stepped out of the past, this guinomi has all the characteristics that appeal to my mini-chawan criterion. The posture, proportions, volume and ratio of the “bowl” to foot all fall within the miniature chawan style guinomi and in this case, Hagi, through and through. Made by Yamato Kiyoshi, this Hagi kohiki guinomi is filled with texture and antiquity, where the landscape keeps the eye darting about where the landscape of the piece changes dramatically as you turn the form around*.    

This simple, textural guinomi was made by Yamato Kiyoshi whose social media presence keeps one up to date on his work and firings. Having established his own kiln, the Meizan-gama in 2000, his work has been widely exhibited including at a number of traditional Kogei exhibitions and at the Takashimiya Department Stores. Though I have seen a number of his pieces, just judging from this singular encounter I think it would be a safe bet that not only the work is of a high level but it is clearly rooted in the Hagi tradition while clearly part of a new generation moving the needle forward, pot by pot.

(* Not necessarily a disco song reference unless you want it to be)

CENTER OF ATTENTION

A while back I posted up a tokkuri and guinomi by Echizen potter, Nishiura Takeshi and thought it time to post a slightly more formal shot or two of the sake cup to fill in the blanks and make it the center of attention. Based on Nishiura’s “blue sand” style of glazing this guinomi fits into the Goldilocks’ zone of neither too big nor too small, perfect in my hand as well as my wife’s. The form is simple, acting as the canvas for the hekisha-yu surface with lots of activity and texture to capture one’s attention and imagination. In this context, it is almost like a small, distant moon is perched on a simple pedestal adorning a table of shelf and just waiting for your favorite spirits to complete its function. As you can see, the thick, glaze roll is the perfect place to grab this guinomi, making for a snug grip where the texture pleases an additional sense, sight. This may be a simple and compact little vessel but it does have quite a bit to say about the modern Echizen tradition and even more to say about the potter.