RIN II

Despite the carved exterior and interior, there is a purity to this hakuji chawan that harkens back to its antecedence, the Sung Dynasty. This finely thrown porcelain chawan has a wonderful lotus design carved into the bowl that stands proud against surface creating a rather tactile experience while the eyes also register the finely incised decoration on the interior. As if this exterior and interior decoration wasn't quite enough, the lip of the chawan is rendered to try to assist the carved lotus design adding an additional layer of detail adding to the sense of both antiquity and modernity.         

This hakuji porcelain chawan was made by Kurashima Taizan of the Daizan-gama of Sue-cho, Fukuoka, as I had previously mentioned, "the pottery of the Kurashima family is known as Sue-yaki and as mentioned and looks to both Chinese ceramics and Arita ware for its initial inspiration" and exudes a Sung charm while maintaining a distinctly Japanese aesthetic (as I am sure Chinese ceramic collectors would attest). Taizan excels at finely thrown, crafted pottery with varying degrees of carved and incised surfaces which can be clearly seen in this chawan as well as the small lobed vase that I posted some while back. Kurashima is rather fluent in the use of seihakuji and hakuji as one can see in this chawan and the previous post showing off a sensitivity to both purity (rin) and nobility handed down within the family and honed over decades and decades of dedicated pursuit of a specific aesthetic.

IN SEASON

I was sent a couple of pictures of this powerful Kumano Kuroemon hanaire and when I asked to use the photos, the proviso was that I did so while in season. So I bumped this photo of this crusty, well fired Kuma-Shino vase and robai (chimonanthus praecox, "wintersweet") adorning the tokonoma to the top of the to use list. The sparse branches, punctuated by accents of yellow work well with the vase as well as the surroundings and if you look carefully to the right of the photo, through the small opening in the alcove    you can clearly see some of the characteristic bold shoga of the Bear himself. Quite the display with what movie goers nowadays would call an added Easter-egg.

HNY 2025

Though both tokkuri and guinomi are repurposed and impressed into ceremonial duty, just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!  "Kanpai!"

SPIRIT OF ECHIZEN

Though I repeatedly tell myself I am not a collector of guinomi and tokkuri it seems like fate that I should end up with yet another of either of tse forms. Case in point and likely (?) our last pot for 2024 is this Echizen hekishayu tokkuri by Nishiura Takeshi. Thrown out of local clay, the full, fat little form is light in weight which defies and stands up to the harsh firing process necessary to create the blue sand surface, frozen in time. With every turn of this pot it presents a landscape full of engaging details that not only please the eye but have a tactile warmth that makes it hard to put down. Perhaps the most intriguing detail is the area where the applied glaze transitions to the natually wood fired effects, creating a three dimensional boundary that circumnavigates the piece. Almost every encounter with Nishiura's array of forms, styles and surfaces leaves me quite satisfied though at the same time creates a quest to see yet another piece to compare and contrast the pots to best understand his lifetime of dedicated pottery making and the very spirit of Echizen in each and every one.

CBL

There is a near immediate recognition when you spot a pot by Ono Kotaro even when it is hanging out in the shadows. The icy clear, yellow or blue glazes that cling to the surface accentuate the meticulously carved lines that curve and wrap the form in a diaphanous embrace. This seiji tsubo by Ono was a Christmas gift for my wife who loves a wide array of pots but i do suspects she prefers them to the more rustic and esoteric Oni-Shino.         

Though not too large, the form is simple with the elegant curvacious carving creates a rather sensuous appearance that is the perfect balance between inviting one in while suggesting being a tiny bit distant. Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of this tsubo is where the glaze has built up ever so slightly adding to the feeling of perpetual motion as the undulating lines go round and round bringing the viewer "there and back again" and never tiring of the cool blue landscape. In retrospect, this icy beauty was just a perfect gift for the season and current, icy climate.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2024

Just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy New year and lest we forget, Festivus for the rest of Us!  (The long oval porcelain form is by Bruce Gholson)

RUSH

Every year about this time I am always wondering, what will be the last order, the last package to go out and every year it gets so close to Christmas and New Years that I just don't think I can get things done or out in time. This year, the last package to go out was on Friday, two sets of four bowls each in two different sizes, the package is supposed to be delivered tomorrow, Christmas Eve. However, this year my very last order came last week, for pots not made or fired mind you asking if it were possible to get them at their destination by next Friday, 12/27.     

The order was for two teabowls and two koro with lids, on set in soda blue and the other in Oribe and came in last Tuesday. Thank goodness they were smalls so I set about throwing the four pieces and two lids and got them all firmed up to trim later that afternoon, don't ask, stupid drying process. Once tooled and slipped, all four were force dried and put in the small kiln that evening and I fired them to bisque and quickly unloaded them by Thursday morning where they were glazed and reloaded for a glaze firing which I fired on Friday but just couldn't get them cool enough to make the Post office on Saturday. Packed them up yesterday morning and shipped them off this A.M. With any luck they should arrive on Thursday with one day to spare. Though I like a challenge, more often than not these types of rush jobs don't always end well. Hopefully next time around I have at least one extra day.      

I didn't take the time or get the opportunity to get the pieces photographed so I am using a stand-in for a photo to go along with this long winded tale. This teabowl was thrown out of stoneware and then had white slip apllied before getting the hakeme treatment for which this form responds rather nicely. The bowls and koro were all based on this form and idea though two were done in Oribe, at the very least it gives you an idea of what all the rush was about.

 HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

LEGACY

I heard a couple weeks ago that one of my favorite potters has passed away, Nishiura Takeshi (1941-2024) of Echizen. His work is filled with the primal elements of what I think of as the Echizen tradition in modern times and of course there was no measure spared in adding a few spices to the mix and clearly showing his own voice in surface and form. Beyond his traditionally fired Echizen pots, Nishiura is well known for his hekisha-yu, blue sand glaze which though doesn't immediately appear like your everyday Echizen potter, it clearly adds another layer (no pun intended) to style that runs the gamut from very traditional to the likes of Kumano Kuroemon.   

This particular Nishiura tsubo was originally thrown round and paddled gently into an ovalled form creating this disticnt henko style for which he is well known. As is abundantly clear, this form is a perfect canvas for the applied sand glaze and the array of wood fired effects that build up and melt the surface into what stands before you. As a mixture of happenstance, gravity and temperature, the hekisha-yu surface paints the canvas in a unique way, never duplicated placing a narrative in front of the viewer that will vary from person to person and certainly from pot to pot. 

Though I am rather sad in hearing about his passing, I believe that Nishiura Takeshi will inevitably be remembered as an essential lynchpin between the older tradition and what has become the modern state of Echizen-yaki leaving behind a legacy of pottery that clearly proclaims that Echizen stands with the other Rokkoyo and is ready for whatever the future holds.

 

SMALL & ROUND

So what is small and round and feldspar all over? In this case, a classic Shino guinomi by Kato Yasukage XIV, though the box is signed Shoji this mini-chawan is a very close approximation of the full size thing complete with the traditional hexagonal decoration. In fact one of the characteristics that appeals to me about this guinomi is the proportions which are relatively close to that of a similarly handled chawan by Yasukage. Similar in form, the high straight sided walls, slightly meandering lip and foot to base ration, being stable but neither too large or too small. Though this is not lkely to any use, it does feel good in the hand, coming in at about 120grams (thanks J.) Kato Yasukage created a traditional, simple and eminently functional miniature chawan that at the end of the day is perfect to use, filled to the brim for what ails you.

TOO FAR?

Tall lobed yunomi with incised and stamped decoration around the form. This yunomi started life as a simple lobed piece that I make on a semi-regular basis but I wanted a canvas to test the incised and stamped decoration together. Once decorated, I decided to go with my newish incarnation of this amber glaze. I think that though the surface is a bit full, it is not so crowded and works well with the glaze, making for a simple addition to a yunomi or teabowl moving forward. Coming off the heels of this test yunomi I have also upscaled the decoration to some smaller covered jars ad some vases as well. Truthfully I have a tendancy sometimes of going a bit too far with decoration and glazing so ending up with a concept that butts up against too much without straying into that territory is a big win as I look at it.