MUKOZUKE

Illustrated is a rather involved set of Ki-Seto mukozuke by Iga potter Banura Shiro. Made to imitate teoke, handled buckets, each mukozuke has a thin coat of glaze that accentuates the form, simple incised decoration and is accented with copper. The glaze has run slightly, helping to emphasize the height of each piece and animating the rather strict, almost formal forms. One can just imagine them dominating a table, almost standing guard among an array of small plates, bowls and cups on a table. Though rather conventional in execution, Banura has made this form his own through his simple execution of the idea, design and surface decoration; the loose manner in which the lip is cut on the interior is a wonderful counterpoint to the lines of the exterior of the pieces and breaks up the forms in a way that Banura Shiro is quite adept at managing. In the end, these mukozuke have been transformed from formal to playful with little more that a knife cut and a quick dip in a bucket of glaze.

MOKU-TSUBO

Illustrated is a very stark and bold panel with the single kanji for TSUBO carved into the wood and then covered in what appears to be a pure white gofun (glue and powdered oyster shell) that is painted into the carved recess of the character. The tsubo kanji is flanked on the lower left by a carved seal painted in red which complements the panel rather nicely. Though not carved by Kato Tokuro,  he provided a calligraphy sheet which was then transferred on to the panel and carved by a professional wood carver. The rear is attested in ink by the carver that Kato Tokuro created the original art work for this panel. Having seen a number of calligraphies by Kato Tokuro, the carver has done a wonderful job capturing the attitude, posture and sincerity of the potter/calligrapher at his best. All in all, a wonderful panel that would look marvelous guarding over a tsubo in almost any setting.

TOOLED ECONOMY

Illustrated is an extremely effective and simple foot on a chawan by Sugimoto Sadamitsu (b. 1935). Though at first glance, it could seem this foot was cut in haste, the well conceived kodai compliments the cylindrical form of the chawan very well. In fact, everything about the form of this pot speaks to a tremendous economy of thought, process and execution like many of its medieval antecedents. The bowl has been created in a style that has stripped away any superfluous additions to allow the purity of form and clay to interact with the will and determination of the firing. Best known for his woodfired Shigaraki and Iga wares, Sugimoto is also a master at producing Raku chawan of sublime and beautiful simplicity, another style that relies of the simplicity of form, glaze and firing to create subtle yet effective master works. Though this foot is the model of efficiency, I cannot imagine any additions or subtractions that would improve upon what appears to be a perfect kodai for this chawan.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Having studied chawan for a good number of years, it has become very clear how easy it is to ruin a chawan with a less than well addressed foot. How is it that a potter can form the bowl and glaze it to near perfection and neglect the foot? I am sure you have all seen a nice bowl form, with a very nice surface and flip the chawan over only to see a weak or somewhat perfunctory foot cut in haste and without any sense of complimenting the form or establishing its any style. I am always quick to say, nothing ruins a good bowl faster than a bad foot. I have noticed  some feet and the transition to the body of the chawan are abruptly stiff, without any lift of the form or grace to the line. It is more than a bit hard to describe good from bad, seeing examples in hand is the best teacher, but modern potters like Arakawa Toyozo, Tsuji Seimei, Furutani Michio and Hori Ichiro, among others create very fine kodai, realizing the foot is far more than a place to simply set the bowl on.

Illustrated is the kodai of a chawan by master potter, Ningen Kokuho; Arakawa Toyozo. The direct and swift cutting of the foot can be clearly seen in the delft cuts made using a bamboo knife practiced and perfected over a lifetime of making pottery. There are few better than Arakawa when it comes to cutting a complimentary kodai on almost any form.

"Striving to better, oft we mar what's well."  Wm. Shakespeare (1556-1616)

KOKORO CHAWAN

I enjoy the occasional  snippets found in TV and movies regarding pottery making. In Japan, the craft is explored in a wide array of jidai-geki, chambara and normal TV programming as pottery is considered a noble and essential pursuit to the Japanese. This short video, from SHIN-ZATOICHI, a TV show that is about a blind traveling masseur, who is also a notorious swordsman and yakuza member is just such a moment where Zatoichi has decided he wishes to learn to make pottery chawan. The back story revolves around Zatoichi, over hearing a transaction in which a contemporary chawan (circa 1850's) is sold for ju-ryo (10 pieces of gold) and exorbitant sum, hence the interest in making chawan. It is worth a watch for the blend of humor and sentiment between Zatoichi, a student and the master. Enjoy!

FOUR SEASONS

The weather has finally changed here and it would seem that spring has finally sprung. For the past three weeks, the Canadian geese have been flying north, in small groups early on and through some blinding snow storms, but now there are huge flocks, numbering into the thousands. Given this past winter, I will not be at all sorry to see spring take hold in the Mohawk Valley; it will be good to see green everywhere. After all, who doesn't like green?

A friend recently sent me a jpeg of another Sato Katsuhiko pottery piece. This one not thrown by Sato, is decorated on a white slipped body and decorated in iron at the center in his ever familiar design of Jizo-bosatsu. The hachi is then flanked by four bold and rich kanji; FUYU, NATSU, HARU and AKI, the ideograms for winter, spring, summer and fall; the four seasons. I am a huge fan of Sato's painted works, they are playful and direct, spontaneous and insightful and immediately put me in mind of the cycle of seasons which he has captured in such sparse  and lyrical decoration. 

INSIGHT

I have always know potters to both curious and insightful and having very diverse experiences and approaches to both clay and life. It is very rewarding to be able to glimpse into the experiences and insights of another potter, especially one who is both a great potter and exceptional teacher. Chris Staley, as Penn State Laureate, has put out a series of videos on various topics that navigate around the world of both art and clay that provide a unique look into how an artist in clay thinks as well as acts. To date, there is quite a few of these videos that can be seen by perusing the attached link and all are more than worth the time spent watching them and ;

http://www.youtube.com/user/ArtsandArch/videos

MAKING CLAY UPDATE

I fired off the glaze kiln last week which included a group of pots thrown from the clay I made up which I am calling CBSW5050. The majority of pots in this clay were teabowls and yunomi and most of which were fired using the latest version of Oribe (Oh9-12) glaze that I am using. Illustrated is one of the variants from the group, paddled and with poured slip under the Oribe glaze. I am constantly tinkering with various base glazes and oxide/carbonate additions to get as many tones and textures of Oribe as possible. I am happy with these particular results and will continue to push the boundaries of the combinations and effects that it may produce.

If interested, you can see more photos of this chawan and a yunomi glazed in this manner over on my Trocadero marketplace;

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/catalog/query.php

 

KAWAI STYLE

There are times when Kawai Kanjiro and his students create pieces that are as much about the truth of form as anything else. When these pieces are simply glazed with minimal decoration they speak about the essence and basics of pottery that is the Kawai tradition. Perhaps it was his long exposure and proximity to the master, but the works of Kawai Takeichi best carry on the tradition of Kanjiro without being copies or clones of his teacher. Illustrated is a well proportioned chawan by Kawai Takeichi; the bowl sits wonderfully perched atop a characteristic Kawai school foot. The classic form is decorated in a rich, yet simple banding of a tessha iron glaze which has run ever so slightly adding movement and interest to the form. It is a simple bowl made of simple clay and with simple decoration but the reality is that it is anything but simple and presents the Kawai style at its very core.

ACALA

Illustrated is an eccentric chawan potted/painted by the modern artist, Sato Katsuhiko (b.1940). Though best known for his 2-D art work, Sato is multi-talented across a wide array of pursuits; paintings, calligraphy, lacquer, pottery, glass and others, he imposes his will and vision into each medium he works with. This chawan was loosely thrown and then decorated in iron with the design of Fudo-myoo, the Immovable also known as Acala. Sato is internationally recognized for his images of Fudo-myoo, among others,  and he has fit this decoration well within the circular confines of the teabowl with temmoku glaze accents on either side of the piece. Though Sato paints on a large number of premade bisque pottery, both commercially and studio created, this chawan was thrown by Katsuhiko and the manner in which the bowl was thrown, more than adequately compliments his fast and folk style painting which he is so well known for.