BLUE SAND

Illustrated is a set of two Nishiura Takeshi Echizen tokkuri that fit together as a nice, neat little package. First thrown round, the tokkuri were paddled and forced together so that they literally fit together making for a rather wonderful set. Once thrown and altered the pots were glazed in Nishiura's "blue sand" glaze and then fired Echizen style in his wood kiln creating what can only be described as a rather unique surface that works on small pots as well as some rather large pieces as well. Beyond the exceptional visual texture, these pots all have a rather vivid texture that is a constant blend of almost coarse and almost smooth making them rather pleasing to use or just stare at as they adorn so small nook or cranny interlocked as siblings or spread out yet calling for one another at opposite ends of a shelf. These evocative and challenging surfaces are a wonderful addition to the modern Echizen tradition and honestly, I think Nishiura has outdone himself with these wild and playful creations.

KISMET

I think it is safe to say that this is something you don't see everyday or since I don't know what circles you may travel in, I will say that this is something that I do not see everyday. Actually I will state for the record that I have only seen two of these in person, one in the US and one in Japan and another two illustrated so I would rate this as a less commonly encountered Tsukigata Nahiko form. What you are looking at is downward view of an Oni-Shino te-oke hanaire likely made in the 1980s. Beyond the rich surface and texture the pot is covered in a thin coat of glassy ash but it is the dramatic, deep brown, crystalized ash that has coalasced in the interior that catches the eye almost immediately. Unprotected during the firing, the interior walls have collected free wheeling ash in the atmosphere which built up, melting and running down the walls into the pool of the te-oke which then cooled slowly creating the dark brown crystaline pool with hints of iridecence here and there.

 Though I have no doubts regarding Tsukigata's skill of placement and firing of his kiln, how much of this surface was fortuitous and simple serendipity as it seems that kismet follows his each and every firing? I am sure had he been asked at the time of its firing, Tsukigata Nahiko would have explained how it was all staged, planned for this exact effect and based on the beautiful and exotic interior of a huge percentage of his work, it is absolutely believable but to be honest, kismet may play a role in the supporting cast of this pot and perhaps a few others. 

 "There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed." Napoleon Bonapart

HALF TWO

I had about an hour recently before I had to be somewhere close to 3pm and decided to make something a bit odd from start to finish and to use a movie quote; "I have a need for speed". I will preface this by saying that these timed pieces are more about thought process and ideas than they are about the finished object and also challenge a speedy thought process to get things done. In this case I decided I would would throw a raised jar form, square it up, throw and cut a lid to fit and then use a thick slip surface to finish off the pot. Throwing the less than three pound jar form went smoothly and then I started getting it set up and squared, which also went quite well. Since the surface was to be covered in slip, the corners didn't end up needing to be really crisp which saved time and now was time to try to fit the lid which I threw just under 20% larger than the original diameter of the jar's depressed gallery. This accounts for the squared corners which are now a bit wider than when originally thrown and also allows some wiggle room. I placed the lid over the form, traced the outside dimensions to the lid and started whittling away at the lid until it was a reasonable fit and then fit with a paddled coil handle reminescent of something I saw in the African cultures arena of the BMFA. The last step was to apply the thick slip with a palette knife impasto style diagonally to create a nice sense of movement which will likely get fitted for an amber suit down the road. Admittedly this was done in just under 32 minutes and the lid fit could have been a bit better if I had taken more time but I am reminded; "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." (Bertrand Russell)

TEXTURAL NARRATIVE

When I first saw (and handled) this chawan I was struck by the collision of the perpetually wet surface and the non-stop textural narrative that surrounds the pot reminding me of some modern style emakimono in three dimensions and composed of clay instead of ink on silk or paper. Wood fired in Shigaraki Valley by Kengo Saeki, this chawan was pulled out of the violence of the kiln and allowed to cool quickly, hikidashi style freezing the ash surface as it was just moments before in the kiln. Running from emerald to olive greens, the texture shimmers where varying depths of the ash present very different colorations adding movement and a visceral articulation to the form. The bowl sits on a modest, sturdy kodai and sweeps up to the bowl form creating a rather appealing lift and shadow line that show that Kengo Saeki was thinking in terms of various dimensions during the creation process. Beyond the sheer visual pleasure of the ceramic topography it is perhaps the tactile nature of this bowl that makes it rather enjoyable to hold and mull over in the hand drawing the attention here and there grabbing one's attention to nuances, marks and other surface variations they may go unnoticed if not for all that wonderful wet texture.

 

MODELING SESSION

It has been quite a while since I put up a post on this Tsukigata Nahiko Oni-Shino hisago hanaire and I was lucky enough to get a few minutes to photograph the piece recently and here is one of those photos from the modeling session. As you can see in this view, this vase has almost everything you would look for from Oni-Shino right down to a wonderful coat of natural ash from the wood firing. The mouth and shoulder have a nice crust of wet, brown ash which gives way to a cascade of green coating the pot exposing areas of pure white Shino and iron perculating up to the surface. Though this is not a particularly large pot, its presence and  traditional form make it a larger than life piece in person where all the components of form, glaze, ash and fire meld together to make what I consider quintessential Oni-Shino from the potter who pioneered this style and technique now a staple of the modern Mino tradition.

https://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2021/09/bookends.html

END OF DAY III

I put off dealing with a group of eight small porcelain bowls until the very end of the day today. All eight were black slipped and two of the bowls were intended to not be carved so I went with this chattering technique where I use the very corner of the tool to create these marks. This technique isn't fool-proof and it causes the occasional skip in the design which personally I like, it breaks the routine and symmetry of the decoration and gives the surface a bit more pep. My current plan is to glaze them in the soda blue but things are fluid and always open to change depending on if I have enough glaze on hand, this approach is called the glaze lottery, using what I have enough of when it comes time to get things glazed and loaded, unless it is an order or commission. Since it is highly unlikely that I will win the $1B lottery, the chances are this will be my best odds for the day; a one in four chance of a suitable surface.

CHOREOGRAPHED

Though slightly reminescent of Tomimoto Kenkichi, this simple henko form with colorful floral decoration was made by Suzuki Kiyoshi (1903-1964). This vase clearly shows the influence of his master, Tomimoto with clear Kiyomizu (Kyoto) elements regarding the decoration and design elements making for a rather identifiable style typical, even traditional for the area with rich undeglaze blue, sometsuke brushwork ranging from soft blue to deep, almost black areas and hints of coral added as accents and later a rich red overglaze to punctuate the space and line the form along with the deep blue cobalt. Despite being over half a century old, this henko looks fresh, bright with decoration perfect for early summer and considering it was created and decorated to capture those exact sentiments it continues to preform just as intended. 

 Suzuki Kiyoshi studied with Tomimoto Kenkichi including at the Sennyu-ji and later with sculptor Yamamoto Kakuji before founding the Sekidosha with Kusube Yaichi, Kano Mitsuo and Asami Ryozo among others. Passing along the Kiyomizu, Kyoto aesthetic, both of Suzuki Kiyoshi's sons are potters; Suzuki Kenji and Takuji work in what I would still consider to be the fused Kiyomizu - Kyoto style making highly decorated and well considered pottery and design. If memory serves me, I remember seeing somewhere, perhaps the GENDAI TOUGEI SAKAIYE JITEN that Suzuki was born into a family who specialized in mold makering which would certainly help explain his prowess in making such well conceived and perfect henko forms. I have to think that looking at this well decorated henko, just how pleased Suzuki Kiyoshi must have been when he unloaded this kiln even if this was one among many, each pot unique but tied together in a well choreographed cycle or making, decorating, glazing and firing.

BOUNDARIES

I have to admit, trying to photograph this solitary and somber seiji chawan is likely beyond my skill level but I will let these photos try to tell the story of this bowl. Made by Uraguchi Masayuki this chawan has a less bright, darker tone where some of the crazing is highlighted with a distinct iron red acting like boundaries between fractures in the celadon glaze. Truly one of the outstanding features of this chawan and other pieces like it is that around the foot and in the interior's mikomi, the glaze takes on a very distinct and opaque quality that differs and stands out from the rest of the piece guiding the eyes to these distinct attractions without seeming incongruous to the overall aesthetic.  

Despite having studied the Chinese archetypes and learning from Miura Koheiji, this chawan and in fact much of his work shows a distinct dependence on the later works of Okabe Mineo from shape and surface. Though one could easily argue that Uraguchi and Okabe were simply feeding off the historical antecedents, to my eye there are subtleties that Uraguchi has "nicked' from Okabe Mineo and then absorbed into his own vocabulary to create a stand alone body of work. This work reflects an idiosyncratic voice built upon what had come before but is moving toward tomorrow. Employing a studied and innovative approach to making his works stand apart from many of his contemporaries while at the very same time standing shoulder to shoulder within a new aesthetic based on over a millennium of prior expression and a rather broad diversity from pottery to pottery and potter to potter.

STACKED

Just a quick post as my days are filled with loading and unloading the big kiln, cleaning and getting another group of pots bisque. Illustrated is a single group of eight terra cotta winterberry bowls with a number of other stacks and groups still green and others that are now bisque. I have finally carved out two areas to store glazed pots ready to be fired and will start glazing tomorrow as the backlog is getting a bit too overwelming. At any rate, though the anxiety is peaking a bit, it is always better to be busy than not.

AN IMPRESSION

If I am not mistaken my first exposure to the works of Kojima Kenji was back in 1992 or 1993, there were a few of his pots at a small gallery in Shigaraki, perhaps a dozen or so. If memory serves me as I have no photos, there were a couple of tokkuri, several guinomi, a small vase and two chawan and all were quite well fired but due to financial constraints and appointments with several other potters I left empty handed but an impression was made that continues to this day. After my intitial exposure and the advent of something called the internet, I began to see Kojima Kenji's works more frequently and over the last two decades he has become one of my absolute favorite wood fired potters where his pursuit of Ko-Iga and his exploration of form and surface has made his pottery stand out among many others in his field. 

  Illustrated is a rather fine, fairly recent Iga mizusashi by Kojima Kenji that is a perfect example of what I am talking about; a strong, sturdy form filled with purpose while keeping an eye on the aesthetics of Ko-Iga ware that he is rather passionate about. Perfect in scale, the mizusashi was thrown and then slightly manipulated to create a rather honest, rustic form where less is more with the exception of a few classic Iga (and Shigaraki) Xs added around the form as well as large lugs on opposing sides. The front of the pot is covered in a wonderful array of wood fired effects including where the form sat in a bed of charcoal during the firing to various glassy ash spread across the mouth, shoulder and patches of the exterior. The rear is all about tsuchi-agi and a hint of wetness caused by the flame and fly ash fuming the surface interupted by marks of the potter in the form of clearly visable Xs incised in to the clay. The interior floor of the mizusashi has a nice coat of ash that sparkles when the lid is removed to see the mysterious contents within and the foot is flat and smooth punctuated by a group of rich, emerald green bidoro droplets. I think it is rather clear what draws me to the work of Kojima kenji and this mizusashi is a rather classic piece that echoes through time back to the feudal Ko-Iga tradition that speaks to the soul in a rather distinct and resounding tone.    

More of this mizusashi can be seen over on my Trocadero marketplace;

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1483667/BOLD-KO-IGA-MIZUSASHI-BY-KOJIMA-KENJI