OTSU-E

If you have been to Japan and traveled the "old Tokaido" highway from Kyoto to Tokyo, you will end up passing through Otsu, a small village just a few miles west of Kyoto. A charming village, I am sure known for a number of things, Otsu is best known for its synonymous omiyage (souvenirs) known as Otsu-e or Otsu pictures. This traditional mingei folkcraft has its origins in the late 17th century as omiyage sold along the old Tokaido (east sea road) highway route. The original designs were of Buddhist images for use in the home and over the years many of the designs became "comics or caricatures" for folk tales; Oni (no) Nembustsu, Yakko-machi, Benkei, Raiko, Fuji-Musume, gourd & catfish, cat & mouse, etc.. The designs of the Otsu-e became very popular gifts to bring when traveling east or west and are now best known for their humor and satire of beliefs of popular culture. Like Aesop's Fables, Otsu-e are based on lessons that are rooted in the origins of Buddhism as it made its way in to Japan around the Nara-jidai.

Having traveled this route a number of times on my way from Kyoto to Shigaraki, I had opportunity and motive to stop in Otsu and acquire some examples of Otsu-e from the current head of the best known Otsu-e families; Takahashi  (Bumpei) Shozan IV (b.1936). In many respects, the work of Shozan IV is now synonymous with Otsu-e and his portrayals of the numerous subjects, stories and fables are the modern classics and continuation of this satirical and allegorical folk art. Illustrated on the left is a small shikishi size painting of the Oni(no)Nembutsu design by Takahashi Shozan IV and one the right is a nice little teacup that I recently acquired with the same design on Kiyomizu wear in bright enamels signed by Shozan IV. The moral to the story, simply put is that if a "wicked" demon can repent, then anyone is capable of repentance and redemption a common core principle of Buddhism.

MEOTO

The term meoto for a set of his/her matched teacups (yunomi) comes from the ancient site, significant to Shinto in Ise Bay in Mie Prefecture. The site is known as Meoto-Iwa, the wedding rocks representing male and female perpetually linked by a length of straw rope, shimenawa. The rocks spring out of the water and are best seen during the summer months with Fuji out in the distance and the sun rising between them. The illustrated set of meoto yunomi are glazed in my lepidolite Oribe glaze over a rinka, lobed form with vertical strokes of black around the cups. There is something rather satisfying making sets that you know are going to be used, hopefully over a very long period of time.

BLOOM

Illustrated is a classically inspired vase form, in Chinese taste, by Kyoto veteran, Morino Kako (1899-1987). This porcelain vase is glazed in a pale, robbin's egg blue seihakuji glaze with an ethereal copper red, peach-bloom accent across the front belly of the pot. To say that Morino Kako was a glaze magician would be an understatement, his glazes were wonderful and most pieces you encounter by him show a precision and artistry that is captivating; techniques and ideals that he passed on to his son, Morino Taimei. Though simple in design and execution, vessels such as this have a profound nature the reminds one of some serendipitous encounter in nature or falling deep into a fine poem or song. It may sound entirely cliche, but frankly, there are few potters that make pots like this today.

You can see more pictures of the Morino Kako over at my virtual market place;

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1244129/item1244129store.html

BLUE MONDAY XIX

As an artist in clay and ink, there is a tremendous amount one can say about Fujihira Shin (1922-2012), let it suffice to say he followed his inner voice and by doing so, others gathered round to see what he and his works had to say. Filled with elements of lyrical narratives, his spontaneous and playful work was imbued with a spirited naiveté that was infectious. Beyond the playfulness and whimsy, it is passion at the core of Fujihira's work; a passion for clay, imagery, storytelling and most evidently in the making. It is hard to look at these pieces and not feel the exuberance and ardor of the maker.

Though Fujihira Shin is mostly associated with hand built or coil built pottery, he did throw occasionally and the illustrated tsubo is just such an example. Made earlier in his career, this small ao blue tsubo is beautifully decorated with incised persimmons surrounding the form. Appearing like they are ripe and ready to pick, these crisp delicacies are a popular food and image used throughout Japan and many times makes on think of  the sometsuke of Kondo Yuzo. The decoration was rendered in a crisp manner imitating the fruit itself and the glaze has cooperated to deepen the color of the incised design and add dimension and movement to not only the fruit but the pot as well. Though a rather common design, Fujihira has captured the nature of the persimmons and his passion for the process all in one small blue glazed pot.

"Passion though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring." Ralph Waldo Emerson

ROYAL RED

When I think of Aka-Shino, I think of rich, deep, even mysterious surfaces where the iron rich slip percolates up through the feldspar glaze. It is the really deep reds, royal reds that are so captivating, like the surface is alive with iron, where the transition between Aka-Shino and Murasaki Shino blurs. There have been a number of great potters who make Aka-Shino and no list would be complete without the original masters; Arakawa Toyozo and Kato Tokuro and his elegant Murasaki-Shino (Murasaki-Nioi). Though both are an exceptionally high bar of achievement, there are a handful of living potters who have also rightfully set the bar very high; Hayashi Shotaro, Suzuki Osamu, Yamada Kazu and Tamaoki Yasuo. Often considered one of "Mino's five great hopes", Tamaoki Yasuo (b.1941) is now one of the greats among the diverse Mino traditions creating Shino and Oribe works that are those exceptional blends of the old and the new, among which, his use of swirling and undulating resisted decoration is a welcome and adventurous addition to modern day Shino.

Dating from the early 1990's, this wonderful Aka-Shino bowl is an exceptional example of the work of Tamaoki Yasuo. The powerful form, tapering into the mouth with its undulating lip conjure up long past memories of the Momoyama era while firmly planted in more modern time. The rich red to orange tones are cloaked over in thicker running milky feldspar creating an evocative landscape that changes as the bowl is moved. It is the experienced hand of a master potter that bends happenstance into artlessness and beauty, for Tamaoki, this is a skill that appears to emanate naturally from his work.

"There is one art, no more, no less; to do all things with artlessness." A short "gruk" by Piet Hein (1905-1996)

WALL STELE

Illustrated is a large stoneware wall plate that is loosely based on imagery from Homer's ILIAD and ODYSSEY. This piece was first created over an impromptu hump mold made of a bag filled with water and then incised and painted over in a grey-black engobe before the incised areas were inlaid in white. I have always been influenced by a number of the great, and not so great, classics favoring the Greek and Scandinavian sagas along with a wealth of 20th century fantasy and science-fiction. The tales of the ancient Trojan Wars seemed rather appropriate in the ishime style which came about as a way to "mimic" ancient stele (stelae), used historically to tell the heroic tales of great individuals among a myriad of other uses across numerous countries and civilizations. Though intended as both a functional and decorative piece, it is the narrative that is the focus of this piece that was my primary goal.

A WEE DRIP-O-GREEN

As far as bidoro goes, it doesn't get much better or greener than this. Like a rich and valued emerald gem fresh out of the ground, this luscious drip of bidoro like many, defies gravity and is forever frozen as a reminder of both the process and method in which it was fired. This close-up is from a simple, yet elegant and noble yunomi by the late master of Shigaraki pottery; Tsuji Seimei. Like a fine gemstone, this clear and defined drip can be quite a rarity and for Tsuji Seimei, it was just another day at the office.

I thought this emerald green droplet would be a great way to remind everyone that today is St. Patrick's Day and though I am not Irish, it is a great day for a good Irish beer and a telling of a good Irish tale, THE QUIET MAN is as good as any.

SPIRALI

Illustrated is a teapot with paddled sides, creating flat panels which are excellent for decoration. Glazed in the same fashion as the Wave Length vase, this teapot was decorated with spirali (spirals) decoration on the panels on either side and the lid. The form of this teapot, with and without the paddled sides is one I like quite a bit, the recessed gallery lid and the way the handle is attached to the mouth allows me to push a thumb rest into the top of the handle which protrudes just a bit in to the mouth and keeps the lid from falling off the pot. In other words, the lid has to be put on and taken off at a slight angle to get past the thumb rest. As you can probably tell, the glaze, used thin was first dipped and then additional glaze was poured over the pot adding some additional interest to the surface where it ran up the pot. Made to be strictly functional, the design, decoration and glazing all followed that premise with the goal of being both enjoyable at work and at rest.

INKED LUGS

Illustrated is an ink painting of a lugged Iga vase with a small tree branch and calligraphy by noted veteran and "old school" potter; Konishi Heinai II (b.1928). I have written about Konishi before who is well known for his passionate dedication to creating both Raku and Iga pottery, both of which he pursues in a decidedly old style of creation. Melding together older Momoyama and early Edo sensibilities with his personal interpretation of those traditions, his works are exceptionally unique to his own voice and vision. This small format shikishi shows the same individuality as his pottery with crisp and simple brushwork and his brusque style of calligraphy which adorn his boxes as hako-gaki. It is this uniqueness and simplicity of this painting and indeed his pottery that makes Konishi Heinai II so admirable in an age when many have given up on traditional aesthetics and the creation of simple, beautiful pottery.

UNITY

Lugs, ears, mimi, what have you, have been used to accentuate and decorate pots for almost as long as pots have been made. If you think back to the fantastical and functional lugs of Jomon vessels, the concept has certainly been a part of Japanese pottery from a long while. Lugs on woodfired pots, in particular, help define, unify and accentuate the forms as well as acting to trap ash or create pathways for the ash and flame. For the pots of the various distorted, weathered and rustic pots of Iga, Bizen and Shigaraki the attachments need to compliment the form in attitude, posture and strength which is a bit easier said than done. Like a mediocre foot on a fine chawan, lugs can easily ruin a strong and well fired form; Kermit the frog style arms on a solid, purposeful form comes off as timid and almost feeble, yet this is far more common that one would think. The ultimate goal of such attached clay is to create a complementary anthropomorphic form without appearing superfluous or contrary to the pot.

Illustrated is a strong, wonky Shigaraki style vase with overtones of whimsy and modernism by the master of combining tradition, playfulness and purpose; Suzuki Goro. The wonderful form echoes the human form with undulating neck appearing to be held in place by the strong, arm-like lugs as if Alice in Wonderland had first visited Japan. The parts of this vase all work well to create a form that has a whimsical sense of movement which accentuated by aggressive marks and rich hi-iro and ash. Created by an innate understanding of form, clay and firing, Suzuki recognized the importance of putting together strong elements that cease to be just pieces parts and create unity as a strong and impressive pot.