GRAB KNOB, LIFT LID

The idea and execution are simple enough, thrown stoneware covered bowl and lid covered over in black and white slip and then combed for decoration. I like making covered serving bowls quite a bit, the forms, uses and possibilities are almost endless as are their uses not to mention size from singles to large pieces intended for gatherings. I like to focus on smaller family oriented sizes for two to four people of which this would do quite well, it is easy to carry and the knob friendly to almost any size hand and fit to serve its hidden contents. The knob was made out of a left over thick piece of slab that I then paddled and folded to create a means in which to operate this complex mechanism; grab knob, lift lid. I also like the mystery of a covered pot, does it contain cale or brussel sprouts, heaven forbid or homemade mashed potatoes with scallions and herbs, your guess is as good as mine though I prefer the latter. I made a group of these in varying size, shapes and surfaces and with different knobs though it is likely that Oribe will not be my first choice here rather depending on either an amber or soda blue glaze to show off the shape and surface. Though the use is entirely up to where ever this ends up, hopefully nothing soggy or alien will fill the volume of this rather simple pot for any that end up on my table.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year for 2024. I am truly hoping that the worst moments of 2024 exceed the very best of 2023!

DIVERSITY

di-ver-si-ty/ noun/ the state of being diverse; variety 

Now days when I think about modern Iga I think about the traditional and evolving works of Kojima Kenji who adds just a bit more to the Iga tradition on a daily basis. There is however quite a bit more to Kojima Kenji and in fact a number of the tradition based potters in Japan and that is diversity, a diversity most likely pioneered by past potters like Kitaoji Rosanjin, Kawakita Handeishi and more modern potters like Tsujimura Shiro where just about everything is at play and the boundries are meant to be pushed up against and broken if at all possible. 

Using some illustrations (assembled as a collage) from a few catalogues I just wanted to show just a few styles that Kojima Kenji has embraced to rather good effect ranging from Shino (Choseki), Iga Oribe, Hikidashi, Iga-Oribe and a number of other techniques showing a range from rather playful and inviting to somber and contemplative in nature. If you look at these six works closely enough there are some commonalities that link these pieces to the potter especially if you are fairly acquainted with his work from form and posture to the way the lip (kuchi-zukuri) and kodai are addressed. I realize I could have picked a variety of different modern potters but in the end I do have a large group of catalogues on Kojima Kenji, have handled more works by him than any other Iga potter excepting Furutani Michio and to be honest, I just enjoy the way he handles clay, Iga or otherwise.

BLUE SUIT

Not having used this soda blue glaze for some while I have been going through the paces from test pod to larger pot to make sure it still responds as it has in the past as I would like to think I have learned my lesson about being impetuous. I ended up going with this small covered jar for several reasons, first off it is larger than a teabowl, it isn't a teabowl (!) and by glazing the lid and the pot I can make sure it doesn't run enough to create problems with pieces being forever (or until I smash them with a hammer) melted together. 

This small covered jar was made to test out a variety of effects on one pot, once tooled, the piece had a black and white slip swirl brushed on the body and the lid excepting the finial. Once dried I painted on the line and brush stroke decoration to add a bit more movement and interest to the piece and then the gallery and lid were waxed off and the pieces glazed. After being fired the covered jar provided most of the input I was looking for including how the glaze looks on unadulterated stoneware as seen on the B.C. influenced finial. Now more or less fully proofed and with a firm belief the glaze responds exactly how it has in the past, maybe it is time to make some covered jars and wall bowls to be decked out in a new soda blue suit.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Happy, Merry, Cheerful, Joyful Holidays, Xmas, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Season's Greetings and a very Happy or ambivelant New Years depending on your current dispostition and psychic predilictions.  Sentiments from Craig, Mindy and Khan the wondercat, background provided by Tsukigata Nahiko.

DEFINED CONCLUSION

Illustrated  is a two view picture of the front and back of an Iga henko by Atarashi Keizo. Composed of slabs for the front and back, a strip of clay, possibly thrown for the center of the form and a thrown and slightly altered neck and mouth, the form is further articulated by marks made by the potter to further articulate and define the surface. Made of a somewhat coarse clay, this pot was wood fired and has weight and volume to this sturdy form as well as displaying an array of effects that also clearly defines the front and back of this pot. As for the incised decoration, I am not sure of Atarashi's motivation but every time I look at the henko I am reminded of roadside Jizo that I would see on my travels in Japan though I admit, everyone will see something possibly quite a bit different. Atarashi Keizo moved from Osaka to Iga after having apprenticed in Mashiko and set up his studio, Kourin-gama in Mie Prefecture.    

Atarashi must have favored this particular form as I have encountered a number of versions of this henko that I have seen including one in the; GENDAI TOGEI HANAIRE (no) TSUBO ZUIKAN  that highlights potters and their various interpretations of modern Japanese vase forms. At the end of the day, this is a somewhat simple pot that was well constructed though in a casual manner that doesn't seem all that interested in any mis-spent adventure. Instead both Atarashi Keizo and pot rely on tradition, a hint of innovation, good clay, a simple yet evocative form, a well fired kiln and years of experience to guide a potter's voice to a well defined conclusion.

WAITING

For some reason I keep going back to making smallish covered boxes, there are likely endless possibilities so each one takes own its own personality and challenges. The illustrated greenware box now waiting on a bisque and glaze firing brought together a low box form together with a tripod foot, faceted planes, dot on top and bottom to align the pieces and yet another B.C./ Prometheus inspired finial. In throwing this piece, free styling along the way I tried to come up with a form that despite or because of the faceted plane it still imparts a fair degree of volume, a bit like it is puffed full of air which props up the finial at the top. No rocket science here, just simple parts put together in a way that I hope forms a contiguous and sensible object that at the end of the day, yes, you guessed it, I will glaze this up in Oribe for the penultimate surface. 

I am not sure exactly when this will end up fired (in Oribe) but when it does, I'll try to remember to post a picture or two.       

"The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

OLD OR NEW

Sleek and simple form and surface on a Hagi chaire by Yamato Yasuo that was made for a very specific function with straight forward aesthetic consideration. Thrown out of a buff style stoneware, this small form is defined by various lines that help define the form; mouth, shoulder, belly and foot and is completed with its all natural and traditional lid. The glaze is just a tiny bit on the thick side and has created an array of very attractive effects from a face that is blushed to pink to areas of crystal growth that appear like soft snowflakes resting across the form all of which conjures up a rich landscape tucked away somewhere in one's mind. Perhaps one riveting feature of this Hagi chaire is the dark band that encircles the mouth ranging from black to rust where the glaze has pulled thin and exposed the clay beneath making for a wonderful termination of the piece. Over the years I have seen quite a few pieces of chadogu by Yamato Yasuo and whether they are old or new what is always clear is that there is an attention to purpose without skimping on the decorative and alluring nature of the pots intended for a traditional ritual almost six centuries old.

SUBSTANTIAL

Solid, sturdy, like a rock are certainly apt descriptions for this simple and fire weary Iga mizusashi by Imura Mitsuo. Made out of a dense, white stoneware, this pot was thrown and then marked up, cut a bit, hacked even and altered to create something akin to a fire scorched carved statuary reminding me a bit of the base of a gorinto (five ringed tower) situated throughout Japan. This misuzashi has deep potter's marks that ring the surface along with gashes carved out of the raw clay that have become prefect foils for the natural ash surface running from sheets of green glass to dark, ominous charcoal areas that bring a stoic and somber tune to this essential part of cha(no)yu. The carefully placed marks that encircle the body of the form at top and bottom compliment the meandering mouth of the pot and help narrate a journey around the pot through its light and dark surface like phases of the moon.         

Created by Imura Mitsuo, his pottery shows a much more solid hand and forceful, almost brutish forms than his master, Sugimoto Sadamitsu. Whether in his nature or as a means to escape his mentor, Imura's work as I mentioned, are substantial and powerful where weight is not a primary concern but in fact play into the narrative of how he must see form and the space it commands. I often conclude looking at his pottery, they are pieces of solitude and solemnity, like a fortress standing alone on a mountain top, defying the viewer to approach but one they do sharing the brillance of simpicity and design that defines both purpose and a singular aesthetic where sparsity and purity converge.

GRINCHING

I have to admit not ever order, especially small ones are received with the same amount of unbridled enthusiams as are other and these four, well what ended up being really twelve bowls are a perfect example of that. I was recently asked to make a set of four bowls in the snowberry decoration but the twist was they wanted them decorated inside and out where as previously the decoration was confined to the exterior of the smaller using bowls with an all black interior and a few carved bands at the top. As you can imagine that doubles the effort as well as doubling the chances that I will somehow manage to screw up the very wet slip trailed dots but I set about making them and all went well and any apprehension was for naught. In point of fact, I ended up making a dozen in total with the thought process that at the very worst I would end up with two sets of four and a spare or two for our kitchen. As luck would have it, I ended up with three sets of four so despite my intitial Grinching, all is well in Whoville and because sometimes things just go the right way, two of the three sets are now in there new homes cross country.