JUST THE BEGINNING

Illustrated is a rather simple, functional  and direct Shino chawan that is as much about the beginning as it is anything else. This robust Shino chawan was made by Tsukigata Nahiko sometime during the early 1960s and is the earliest teabowl by him that I have ever seen and the bottom of the box has a large archaic looking red seal stamped on it that looks like something out of the middle ages. Thrown out of a familiar looking clay, the body was first dipped in an iron slip and then a Shino glaze and where his fingers held the bowl, rich red patches punctuate the surface along with areas where the slip has worked its way through the glaze to create a sense of chaos and reaction. The shape of the bowl is a bit conservative but if you look carefully you can see what will become the more classic Tsukigata foot and the space he uses at the base, lift of the pot and the shadow line all give hints as to where they will evolve. Though this was just the beginning for Tsukigata Nahiko, he could have easily been content with marrying the styles of Momoyama and his master but he set about an arduous and determined route and found his way to the path of where demon Shino and the ferocity of the flame meet head on.

SOMETSUKE FUDO

Illustrated is a rather large porcelain sometsuke hachi by one of my favorite modern Japanese painters; Sato Katsuhiko. The bowl is a bit wonky having been thrown a bit unevenly but the wonderful overall floral/ foliage decoration makes a great frame for the fierce (?) Fudo painted in a medallion at the center of the bowl. Having seen a lot of his two-dimensional work and how well constructed the images are, I am always impressed by his ability to orchestrate the surface of a three dimensional object which he does quite well. The use of the cobalt blue decoration of a variety of hues really animates the piece and gives the impression that it was painted with a variety of colors where only the one in varying thicknesses are in use. I never tire of encountering ceramic works by Sato, each one is a playful expression and excercise that is a beauty to use and to just plain admire.

REFLECTION

Ever year on this day I take a pause, a moment of reflection to remember a remarkable potter. A pioneer in firing a traditional anagama, both Shigaraki and Iga pots are left as a testament to the talent, insight and dedication of Furutani Michio. I also take a few moments to reflect on those all too few moments of being at his studio, his warm smile, his nobility and all of those wonderful wood fired pots.

FADE TO BLACK

I have seen and handled a great number of pots by Kimura Morikazu over the years but this particualr style always captures my attention. Kimura has creatively arranged his glazing in such a way to create bands of various colors at differing levels around the pieces, in this case the rich iron band around the top of the chawan is contrasted against the rest of the bowl which fades to black and the entire piece is covered with oilspots making for a rather attractive and compelling surface. This chawan was made back in the 1980's and was wood fired but like many of his pots, it defies being dated as it has a rather timeless quality that is connected all the way back to the birth of the technique in China to the creative applications of present day potters working with in this oeuvre. I hope the slideshows gives a fuller perspective of the chawan and hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed handling the bowl.

JUST A PROP

I have made a lot of pots over the years, with pots being shipped all over the US, some to Canada and quite a few other destinations as well, I think 21 countries in all. A number of these pots were sold through sales, galleries, craft shows, out of the various studios and now through internet sales, truthfully it is impossible to keep track of them and at times they are hard to recognize in description or even photos ( especially those from the CSU days). That being said, there are also times when it is easy to recognize a piece through shape, lip, foot, clay color, pierced holes in the foot for hanging and the overall posture, I believe the photo is just one such bowl. I'll add the caveat that I am 99% sure this is my pot, acting as a prop along side James Spader and Brian Dennehy in the TV show, BLACKLIST. I suspect the bowl was bought at a gallery in Maryland or Virginia where I showed, both now defunct. Exactly how the v-bowl got there is beyond me as it is the second pot that has shown up as a prop, the other a short lived Canadian TV show, so go figure. I am kind of honored that the show runners used the bowl exactly as I would hope as a focal point of a person's table, filled to the lip with 'stuff' just as the bowl was intended. This bowl may be just a prop but for a fleeting instant it was center stage and after all the television transmissions are on their way out in to the cosmos and who know who will see* the bowl next perhaps the inhabitants of Gliese 581c?

(* Before someone decides to say something, yes I am aware of the inverse square law and its relation to radio signal degradation.)

EXOTIC CAMOUFLAGE

Looking a bit more like the exotic camouflage of some far away mammal, fish or lizard; this style of yuteki glaze is not something that you see every day. The jewel inspired spots burst out of the yellowish ground creating isolated universes of iridescence and shimming crystals which under the right lighting brings the chawan to life, creating a mysterious and contemplative surface that very few can achieve. Created by oilspot specialists and student of Kimura Morikazu, Sasaki Yuzuru spent a number of years under his master's tutelage as well as studying at the Kyoto ceramic Research Institute before establishing his own studio/kiln in Fukui (1979) allowing him to focus on this pursuit and creating pots and surfaces that almost defy logic and showcasing a long term dedication to his craft and art. In certain respects as I study this pot it appears like I am staring at the handiwork of a pointillist master who has place every spot exactly where it should be with the rich dark lip and highlighted band of blue-grey iridescent spots running around the center circumference of the bowl. At the end of the day it is the experience and his years of making, testing and firing that has created this exotic chawan surely setting him apart from his contemporaries and making it easier still to say, "Sasaki Yuzuru made this".

LAYERS UPON LAYERS

Illustrated is a wonderful little saidei (layered clay) kogo by the late Miyashita Zenji (1939-2012) created by building up layers upon layers of colored clay on his ceramic canvas. Having grown up around clay, his father Miyashita Zenju (1901-1968) was a veteran porcelain potter and glaze magician, Zenji discovered his saidei technique and literally wrapped his evocative and creative forms in his multi-colored surfaces and though this kogo is simple in form it creates a lyrical surface that speaks to distant and exotic landscapes to destination far off both real and imagined. Miyashita's use of color and texture in balance on his forms illustrates a potter's intimate knowledge of his clay, form and material as well as an evolving aesthetic as his works and ideas matured. Though small in scale and at times easy to overlook, this saidei kogo is an excellent and mature example of Miyashita's oeuvre and speaks about a purity and honesty of a potter's vision.

SOFT SQUARE

If I am set in to auto-pilot, I can sit at the wheel, music blaring in the background and throw round thing one after another, obviously, the wheel spinning in a circle has something to do with that. Though I enjoy round pots, now and again I find the need to break the form given from the wheel head from throwing and altering the piece either with a few subtle gestures or at times by radically altering and even reassembling the clay. In this particular case, I took a couple of low serving bowls and just moved them a bit to form soft squares, most noticeable at the mouth and rims. This is another of those "no rocket science" moments where just upsetting the form a bit changes the piece quite a bit and also adds somewhat to the actual use of the piece. As you can see the exteriors have had thick white slip applied which has been combed and once bisque will likely be glazed in the Ao+ and Oribe. I know it really doesn't seem like a big difference but by squaring the forms just a bit it breaks that rhythm of not only the throwing but the aesthetic outcome as well.

NOT ONE THING

I will not get involved in the meaning or implications of this Zen Buddhist expression but it reads; HONRAI MUICHIMOTSU,  a single line calligraphy that the great Zen pioneer Hakuin Ekaku and many other liked to brush. This particular scroll is by the highly versatile painter, calligrapher, sculptor and potter, Tsukigata Nahiko. Brushed in a thick and bold black ink, the easily identifiable calligraphy stands out against the stark white paper which is punctuated in three spots with the read seals of the artist. The mounts are very well done but are simple in that they don't add any conflict with the ink though they frame the painting to the fullest. The scroll is hung in a spot which the owner has "designated" their Western tokonoma and on a lacquer stand there sits a simple, bluish white Yi Dynasty style 20th century Korean vase which happens to be in-between its floral garnish at the moment. In receiving this photo I am reminded how easy it is to create small accents of Japan within an otherwise thoroughly Western environment.

TANG AGAIN

There is an old misconception that the drink, Tang was invented as a result of the NASA space program but the truth is it was around before manned space flight but its association with NASA certainly made it quite popular and a must have household item. As for this  exhibited Tang influenced Sancai chaire, though it is not necessary a household item it could be a focal point of any tea ceremony most pottery collections.

Made by Kato Kobei VII, son of Ningen Kokuho Kato Takuo, this full and rounded chaire was thrown out of a fine white clay and then glazed in an alkaline based clear glaze with accents of copper and cobalt added to the surface which became droozy and melted down the pot. The fine incised line which circles the pot acts as a strong focal point especially where the rich green and blues become a bit deeper in the recess capturing the eyes attention. Kato Kobei VII comes to this style, inherited from the vast experience, experimentation and interests of his father creating works in the Persian and Tang Sancai styles which bare a resemblance to his teacher but shows a careful and studied approach to the work which defines the pottery of a unique voice in not only form but application, design and decoration. There are few potters carrying on this pursuit and this chaire serves as another brick to shore up this distinct tradition.