BROADENING THE HORIZONS

Back in the earlier days of collecting my unofficial motto was; "if it isn't chawan its crap", we well I was 110% focused on chawan as the end all and be all. In walks Elizabeth Wilson of ASIATICA in Kansas City whom my wife met on a business trip many years ago and struck up a relationship with the gallery owner. Within a few weeks of that visit, Elizabeth had sent us photos of a large Tsujimura Shiro osara and a truly enigmatic Tamba tsubo by Ichino Etsuo along with two copies of the Arts of Asia magazine in which each issue one of the pieces was illustrated in ads for the gallery. This early encounter was destined to reshape our, again my understanding of modern Japanese ceramics broadening our horizons and kicking open the door to a vast array of varying forms as well as styles, traditions and surfaces.      

Illustrated is just such a piece that is not a chawan, this curvy koro with the cool blue glaze was made by Ono Kotaro and despite its scale it surely has quite an impact blending aethetics, function and animation all within its somewhat small form. Thrown out of thick porcelain and then festidiously carved to create rythmic waves like poetry in motion around the koro which is perfectly accentuated by the pale blue seiji surface. The lines and shadows created by the form add dimension and animation to his work which at each and every turn appears to be filled with vitality. Focusing on three primary surfaces; hakuji, ouji and seiji, Ono Kotaro has built a large repetoire of forms, some carved other smooth, using a limited but expressive palette where less is more and perfect to work in sync with the purity of the porcelain and the implied motion of the peaks and valleys of the pottery. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't think back on those earlier formulative years with modern Japanese ceramics and think it was a really good move broadening our horizons.

BLUE GRASS

I am back to using this old soda blue glaze again which dates back to my days in Cleveland, I think the formula came from either Bill Brouillard (CIA) or possibly Linda Christianson who was teaching in Cleveland at the time. I have been using the glaze on both stoneware, with slips and on porcelain as seen in this example of carved black slip through to the clay body. I thought I had to get around to expanding the possibilities, making a few pieces with my "grasses" pattern and I think it works well despite not being easy to photograph. In this case a small eight or nine inch bowl with small divets implying lobes around the circumference which works well with the border and pattern incised and carved into the piece where the black slip turns truly dark and bold. Its a simple form, decoration and overall idea but I just won't complain when all three come together and avoid the necessity for the hammer to get involved.

 

IRON & ASH IV

Wonderful and powerful ash and iron glazed (haiyu(no)tetsuyu) chawan by Kyoto potter, Kimura Morinobu. The broad bowl fits well, cupped in the hands with a foot that compliments the curved form that culminates in the uneven and meandering lip. The tetsuyu is speckled with small iron crystals that are interrupted by the areas of thick, white to green ash that adds a rather pleasing mottled effect across the exterior and part of the interior creating a visual depth to chawan. Though I am slightly biased when it comes to Kimura Morinobu, I think it is safe to say that his simple and uncomplicated work blends parts of the Kyoto wabi-sabi aesthetic that goes back centuries along with the clean and unfettered lines and surfaces that are clearly the characteristics of modern pottery espoused in the 50s and 60s as well as across the various Scandanavian countries. Though this chawan is a bit more complicated than others, the bones of the pot remain true to his ideals of simplicity where this surface is right at home creating an overall sense of harmony which is quite typically seen in the works of Kimura Morinobu.

TETSU-GAMA

The box for this small Kojima Kenji sakazuki reads; IGA, TETSU-GAMA GUINOMI, KENJI and after handling it, the "cryptic" iron kiln notation makes a bit more sense. Thrown just on the thinner side, this open form has just a bit of uneveness to the posture and lip and the foot was very casually cut making for a stable but slightly wonky pot at first glance. Clearly wood fired, the surface is covered in a layer of melted iron from either slip or glaze and then further cloaked in natural wood ash creating a variety of effects including a rich cascade of brown ash and iron and ash crystals punctuating the interior of the guinomi. The exterior face of the piece was incised with the potter's mark which is now covered over in the same brown glass as part of the interior which is both a nice feature to admire as well as its tactile appeal. There is a lot going on with the form and surface of this Kojima Kenji guinomi which as I am wont to say, it punches well above its weight in both its aesthetics and function. 

 

FIFTEEN MINUTES OR SO

I built a couple of pots today out of slabs from yesterday and realized I had a semi-firm piece of slab that I likely could make something out of and decided on a fifteen minute project. Since I rarely make plates or dishes with this challenge I decided to go with a raised piece, like a small taza. Using the corner of a box, I quick formed the clay to this approximate shape and dried it a bit with a heat gun. I then took a small amount of left over slab and rolled it into a pedestal foot and attached it where the four angles met and added a pierced hole to the foot for effect. Using a rasp I defined the shape along the side angles and flattened out the ends before adding white slip that I then combed into alternating directions. All in this came in at less than fifteen and probably shows as well but rather than have to recycle the clay I figured why not make a form that I haven't made before and let's get it in a bisque and then a glaze fire to see how it comes out. I better you are thinking, why not use Oribe green, since I rarely use that surface.

MEMORIAL DAY 2024

I am reminded on this solemn Memorial Day of the most poignant quote by John F. Kennedy; "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.". I hope that we can live up to this expectation and honor those who have sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy our freedom and liberty so hard won and possibly even harder to maintain. 

INGENUITY

I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but there is a fair degree of whimsy and amination to this pot with perhaps just a pinch of Theodor Geisel thrown in for good measure. Cutting quite the impression the sturdy, stable base acts as a counterweight to the large, flaring mouth and casually applied ears to either side of the neck. Made by Sakauchi Ensen from Okayama prefecture, he refers to his style of work as Hisoku-Nanban-yaki or "secret color unglazed pottery" which is rather fitting for this slightly unorthodox and idiosyncratic surface and work. While the face shows off a rather verigated texture composed of dark, almost black tones it gives way to running areas of copper green around the base of the pot while also peeking out from behind the mottling of the darker surface. The rear of the pot has a more classical surface presenting a more traditional Bizen appearance with just hints of copper green wrapping around the edges and rich, glassy brown ash cascading off the shoulder. Over the years I have encountered a number of Sakauchi's work and must admit I am never 100% sure what I will see from fairly conservative hohin teapots, chawan and guinomi with formal and conservative lines to unique and animated pots like this vase where imagination and determination have coalesced to create a new ripple within the Bizen tradition thanks to the ingenuity of Sakauchi Ensen. 

"Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

BLUE TEXTURE

Illustrated is a rather simple soda blue teabowl, a bit bigger than some that is mostly about form and texture that was made as a small group several firings back. This group were made to get an idea of what the texture looked like under the soda blue and the old amber I have used on and off for quite some times. Centered, textured, expanded and thrown the texture becomes bold and obvious, nothing subtle that ends up being a rather straightfoward bowl whether it finds its way to being used for tea or chilli or anything inbetween, just hold off on the broccoli and cale.     

"No water, no life. No blue, no green." Sylvia Earle   

(Sorry for the lazy, brief post. The morning was taken up with errands and appointments and the afternoon with basic clay stuff.)

 

MADE IN HEAVEN

When you first think about it, this guinomi and the tokkuri seemingly have nothing in common other than they were made by a potter and fired in a kiln. The guinomi is by Kimura Morinobu and the tokkuri is by Oiwa Tomoyuki, they represent different generations, currents in clay, firing technique, the clay and surfaces not to mention distinct tradition but as I had these two pieces out it became rather clear how well the pair not only co-existed but presented a harmonious front. Both of these pots are of course intended for a specific purpose, the drinking of sake, both were made with function as the primary goal without turning a blind eye to the aesthetics where both are rather direct, innovative and well considered. Though this pair may not be a marriage made in heaven it is clear that they both share more than separates them and both have a hint of an exotic flare whether they originate in Bizen or Kyoto, they both share that distinct voice of clay.  

"The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret."  Henny Youngman

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

Though I am sure it is obvious, these are neither my photos nor my pots, this group of five pictures come from a retropective exhibition catalogue of the work of Bizen potter and Juyo Mukei Bunkazai, Yamamoto Toshu (1906-1994). In a recent exchange on chawan I sent these pictures to a fellow collector as "good" example of Yamamoto's work as by many critics he is considered have among the best "wheel technique" of 20th century Bizen potters. I am not sure that is exactly why I have gravitated to his pottery but I do really enjoy how he handles clay where he blends the formal with just the right amount of the casual creating direct and forceful pottery.           

In conjunction with his use of clay and the wheel, Yamamoto's pots appear imbued with purpose where each style of Bizen uses traditional archetypes to bring simple and rich new creations into existence out of nothing more than some small amount of clay, technique at the wheel and a knowledge of just exactly how to fire each and every pot that made its way into his kiln. I think this group of five chawan clearly show the skill and diversity of pots within the Bizen tradition that Yamamoto Toshu drew from from my very favorite of his chawan in the number one spot all the way to his soft, hidasuki style bowl bringing up the rear of the pack and what none of these photo show off is just how exceptional his chaire* were, but that is a post for another day.        

(* See the BIZEN YAMAMOTO TOSHU CHAIRE-TEN for an exhibition of the range of his chaire.)