O-JU-WAN

Illustrated is a chawan that belongs to a friend which I refer to as O-Ju-Wan, the big Ju bowl. This chawan was made by Shimizu Uichi (1926-2004) and is a Horai style bowl glazed in a rich black iron glaze with a frothy white laid over and then the kanji for Ju carved or inscribed into the surface. Working in his nobori-gama, Horai-yu, Shimizu created a wide variety of rich iron glazes from deep black iron saturated ones to celestial appearing kannyu celadon style seiji glazes with deep crazing creating worlds within their surfaces. This particular bowl has a lovely form with the Ju kanji dominating the face of the bowl intended to bring felicitations and longevity to both user and viewer. The playful interplay of glaze textures, inscribed decoration and clay body cloak the full round form of a generous and sturdy chawan well at home in hand or commanding a space as a reminder of the intent of both potter and pot; enjoy.

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I am not sure why, but for me, the incised decoration and Oribe seem to go hand in hand. The way the glaze first breaks to a much lighter color only to fill that incised channel with a dark river of Oribe makes the technique very appealing. Though the idea of the incised line goes way back in pottery history, it is the work of Kohyama Yasuhisa, Koie Ryoji, Charles Counts and Aaron Bohrod that have been of the greatest inspiration and influence in what I do with the cut line. The technique is both primal and expressive, literal and obtuse and allows a potter direct access to the clay, cutting in to the surface and moving material as you go along. The other appeal is that spontaneity goes hand in hand with the directness of the technique, like ink on a fresh piece of paper, there is no going back, the line cut is the line that one lives with and there is a fair share of cast always and wasters along the route. Using a sharpened piece of bamboo as a tool, it takes practice to get gentle curves and small detail, but like all things worth the effort, it is only the first 10,000 hours that serve to get you where you are going.

Illustrated is a thrown stoneware bottle, tokkuri with an decoration loosely based on the orbit in some far off incised interstellar intersection of stars. In a way this decoration is an offshoot of my "landscapeman" design but it owes as much to the blackboards of science fiction scientists in old B movies as anything else. The Oribe glaze works well over the incised decoration and though not quite apparent in the photo, the surface has a slight iridescence to it. I have only one question, how is it possible that no one in the US is mining ceramic grade lepidolite?

JUN (NOT THE CAT)

On our very first trip to Japan in 1991 and on our first excursion out in Kyoto, we stumbled on to an exhibition of pots by Hara Kiyoshi (b.1936). There was a wide array of pots, some large and imposing temmoku tsubo with images of horses, birds, foliage and even a jar with a scene of giraffe eating from trees, all were wonderful pieces and in the midst of these pots were just two beautiful Chinese inspired pieces in a vivid Jun (Chun) style glazes. One piece was a 10" vase and the other a mizusashi with a small bird perched on the lid acting a knob. Breaking up the surface on the mizusashi were areas of a tannish colored accents on high spots and sharper lines where the Jun had run a bit thin and the pot had various rich purple areas that accented the near perfect blue of the pot.

Obviously inspired by the archetypes that date back to the Song Dynasty of ancient China, Jun-yao (Chun-yao), the pots of Hara Kiyoshi show the influence but not slavish dependence on the straw ash glazes made famous in the Jun kilns of Yuzhou. Having studied with both Ishiguro Munemaro and Shimizu U'ichi, both Ningen Kokuho and potters inspired by Chinese ceramics, the foundations of technical and aesthetic mastery were taught by the best. In 2005 Hara was also named Ningen Kokuho and carries on the proud tradition of specializing in iron glazes as did both of his masters. Illustrated is a lovely mizusashi similar to the one I saw back in 1991 and dating to around that time. The form and glazing is exceptional with the knob in this case being a ram one of the symbols of the Asian zodiac. What I find so compelling about the pot is that it seems puffed up and ready to burst and I fear that if you were to remove the lid, it would simply deflate; I think it is the tension that makes this pot so enjoyable.

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.