ARAKAWA AS PAINTER

Arakawa Toyozo ( 1894-1985) is arguably the greatest Mino potter of the 20th century, known for his wonderful Shino, Ki-Seto and Seto-Guro masterpieces. Though known as this masterful potter, there is another facet of his artistic endeavors that one rarely sees excepting the occasional illustration in a catalogue or book. From early on, Arakawa painted in ink and watercolors, including a scroll of the famous Mutabora-gama which was his impetus for the rediscovery of Momoyama Shino.

Arakawa has left a fairly large number of his painted pottery, from stark and expressive sometsuke wares to colorful underglaze and overglaze enamel painted pottery running the gamut from traditional Japanese subject matter of flora and fauna to his own unique Nihonga inspired paintings. Some of these pottery works are iro-e style porcelains while others are seen in almost Rimpa, Ogata Kenzan inspired designs on slipware together with iron (tetsu-zu) designs on slipware and on and under Shino glazes.

Back before his discovery of the Mutabora-gama, Arakawa had been an assistant/student of Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883-1959). Rosanjin was a strict task master, a powerful ego and an artist of numerous talents which included pottery, calligraphy, painting and the designing and decoration of lacquer, metalwork lamps, furniture and seal carving. It was in this fertile and multi-disciplined environment that Arakawa was exposed to Rosanjin’s exceptional calligraphy and paintings (panels, screens, scroll, shikishi, etc.) that he also adapted to his pottery. With the literati tradition that Arakawa was exposed to under Rosanjin, it was only natural he would use his pottery as canvas as well as creating two dimensional arts as well.

There are quite a few scroll paintings (kakejiku) and shikishi (board) paintings left that illustrate everything from his friends, adventures, flora, fauna, pottery and his own artistic unique renderings. All of the works I am aware of were painted in sumi ink or watercolors. His style of painting can be divided into three main categories; simple Momoyama inspired “ink traces”, Rimpa and Nihonga inspired designs with color and definition, but not overly detailed and lastly, his detailed and precise painting showing highly rendered images. The same three broad categories are also seen on his pottery, to included precisely rendered enamels designs and patterns on porcelain. His paintings are all very expressive, individual and free spirited.

I have seen several Shino chawan and several other pots that were accompanied by kakejiku depicting the pot along with a short narrative. There are also pieces that have shikishi that were included along with a wide variety of pots. The illustration is of a Shino chawan and narrative by Arakawa Toyozo. It depicts a typical Shino chawan with underglaze iron decoration of mountains and pine trees. No doubt this once accompanied the illustrated chawan but has now been separated from the piece.

The relevant question, where is that chawan?

COPPER & STONE

Something a bit different, but a technique I have been using for some time now, ishime-ji. This tall citadel jar is surfaced using several engobes and an inlaid line of white engobe into a white stoneware clay body. The jar has a clear glazed interior and a pierced copper handle. The decoration is an offshoot of my “landscape man” design which I used to try to emphasis the verticality of the jar. The term ishime-ji literally means, stone ground (surface), it seemed the best way to describe the visual as well as the texture of the technique.

BANURA SHIRO FOLIAGE MIZUSASHI

I came across this photo the other day and immediately knew it was a pot by Banura Shiro. This mizusashi is tall and has a graceful form that plays host to his Rimpa inspired decoration of iron, overglaze gold and silver foliage accentuating the vertical quality of the piece which is punctuated by a spire like finial knob on the lid.

I am always impressed with the wide array of forms Banura is known for and how adeptly he tailors his designs to a wide variety of work, from jar to hachi to chawan. There are a number of potters whose works are (or were) inspired by the Rimpa school, but I think Banura Shiro has added a modern edge to an age old tradition made famous by Ogata Korin (1657-1716) and his brother, the potter, Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743).

CAT & MOUSE

A pair of earthenware teabowls by Georgia potter and educator; Ron Meyers. Deftly animated painted designs of a large fat cat and a fleet footed rodent making its hasty retreat decorate these bowls which though not intended as a set, certainly work as a pair and found themselves in a private collection. This pair was actually collected two years apart, but do seem to work so well together.

Using local red earthenware, a thin dryish white slip, underglaze pigments and a very thin clear glaze, Meyers works his magic at cone 03 and animates his pottery with florid images of animals and nudes. He does seem to be particularly fond of fish, rabbits, cats, chickens, hogs and the female nude as they make their way on his oxidation and wood fired pots quite frequently. It seems his pots always have a story to tell…………….

(From a private collection)

THANKS

I am sure like many people, I have much to be thankful for. I am able to wake up each morning and make pots through the day, spend time with my wife and cat and go to bed thinking about making pots tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

(A closeup of an aventurine temmoku glaze on a vase by me)

L'ULTIMO SPUNTINO

Anyone that has ever been to Japan can attest to the assault on your sense of smell from all of the wonderful restaurants and vendors in most cities. Aside from all of the culinary dishes of Japan, there is a wide array of bar food and appetizers that get the mouth watering. Negamaki, gyoza, yakitori, okonomiyaki and of course sushi and sashimi are just a few of the treats available and many of them are served on handmade pottery made by local and nationally famous potters. While at a sushi/sashimi bar near Osaka, I was served crimson red maguro on beautiful Oribe hachi by Kishimoto Kennin.

Since it is somewhat difficult to get Japanese food products in central New York state, I know it is hard to believe, we get a care package from Japan 3 to 4 times a year. In it is various powdered sauces (like tonkatsu), spices, udon, and a variety of other sundries. This of course includes both Pocky and Pretz. For you unfamiliar with Pretz, especially my favorite Tomato Pretz, you certainly have no idea what a culinary delicacy you are missing. One thing that is an absolute, without Pretz, the earth would surely stop turning.

ANOTHER FIRING, ANOTHER PITCHER

It has been one of those weeks. Getting things bisqued, cleaned, prepped, waxed, glazed and fired, as well as normal household responsibilities and squeezing in a movie or two on the tellie. Here is the run down;

Sun: Loaded kiln for bisque, ran a bunch of errands
Mon: Fired Bisque
Tues: Unloaded bisque, cleaned and prepped bisque, waxed and glazed, pack/ship a small order
Wed: Finished glazing, clean glazed ware and loaded kiln
Thurs: Fired kiln
Fri: Unloaded kiln, photographed pots, packed up small 3 orders

I have been getting about a 90% success rate out of most firings, though this kiln was just a bit less. It was made up of medium size serving bowls, a group of lidded oval pieces, a group of 4 vases, several covered cap jars, 3 “mizusashi” style covered jars, a new winged lidded form with two lids, some teabowls (as tests of course) and some pitchers. For years I was reticent to make pitchers and now it seems every firing has at least 2 or 3. I like pitchers, the various forms, different ways to handle them and possibilities to glaze them. If it is another cycle and another firing then it is another group of pitchers.

IT’S ALL IN THE ATTITUDE

Now I realize we all have varying perspectives of what is cool and what is not. Sometimes I think in the sheer act of talking or writing about “cool”, the farther away something is from cool. But when I first saw this Shigaraki mizusashi, all I could think was how “wonky cool” it was.

The attitude of this pot is a wonderful blend of medieval pottery with the zeitgeist of the 1970’s when it was made. The posture of the piece has an animated character to it that is accentuated by the hi-iro coloring, incised makings and balance of the essential elements. Made by Ota Minoru, a veteran potter who specializes in not only Shigaraki, but Hagi and Shino as well, the casual approach to potting and forming that loose, but so appropriate lid, comes from a lifetime of handling clay.

From my viewpoint, that is just a cool pot with plenty of attitude.

SOMETHING TO WATCH ON IPTV

I realize many of you have most likely seen the attached four videos from Youtube, but in the interest of becoming a multi-media conglomerate, I thought I would post these all in one place. I enjoy watching these videos time and time again and marvel at the simplicity of the various approaches to the task of throwing.

Hamada Shoji Throwing 1


Hamada Shoji Throwing 2


Michael Cardew Throwing


Bernard Leach Throwing

KODAI (1)

I mentioned in a previous post, how it was easy to identify the pots of Hori Ichiro, just looking at the foot, kodai. The truth is this can be said for most of the better Japanese potters. Yes, the kodai will change from pot to pot as well as over time, but there are always the tell-tale idiosyncratic characteristics that point to the maker. When you look over the feet of Arakawa Toyozo, Kato Tokuro, Kawai Kanjiro, Shoji Hamada and many others, the kodai shapes the pot and lets a viewer know who made the piece. In a way, the kodai acts as a signature, especially for those who do not sign their works and is the most difficult part to fake for those who would do so.

Illustrated is the wonderful and powerful kodai of a Seto-Guro chawan by Hori Ichiro. Though it shows some influences of his teacher, Kato Kozo, I find his kodai to be exceptionally individual in approach. The casual appearance of the foot and base hides the reality of years of trial and error, study and repeated experience to create so grand a foot. It doesn’t have the appearance of being “fussed” with or contrived. To my eye, it has all the characteristics of a great foot and as I am constantly reminded, the devil is in the details……………….