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VARIETY

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As if I haven't covered a number of reasons why I am fascinated by Oribe pottery and the process, the least of which is the variety of styles that have developed around the classical E-Oribe style. Having sprung from the influence of Furuta Oribe (1544-1615) in the Momoyama era, Oribe actually was originally based on the thick feldspathic glaze which became thinner and more transparent over time. Though the sense of direct and unadorned styles of pottery held sway during the life of Sen (no) Rikyu (1522-1591), after his death, Furuta espoused and popularized the spontaneous, refreshing and sometimes "bizarre" decoration of Oribe which become a lasting part of cha(no)yu. Stemming from what Tsuji Nobuo refers to as, the "playfulness in Japanese art", the styles of Oribe developed through experimentation and adaptation of techniques and ideas that were not based entirely in the craft of pottery; many of these designs came from "foreign" cloth patterns as well as stenciled paper designs. This willingness to play with the surfaces and glazes gave rise to a wide variety of types within the overall category of Oribe. The following are the major groups of Oribe that have flourished since the 17th century;

E-Oribe; Oribe with patterning painted in iron underglaze pigments

Ao-Oribe; various hues of green glaze

Kuro-Oribe; very dark green to black glaze, sometimes accompanied with areas of clear glaze and underglaze decoration

Narumi-Oribe; Oribe green glaze and clear over a red slip usually with painted underglaze decoration

Aka-Oribe; red Oribe

E-Oribe; "picture" Oribe

Iga-Oribe; Oribe ware made in the fashion of Iga-yaki


There are a number of modern potters who embody the playful and spirited nature that originated nearly four centuries ago with Oribe; potters like Hayashi Shotaro, Suzuki Goro, Takauchi Shugo, Higashida Shigemasa and of course, Yamada Kazu. Though born into a traditional Tokoname pottery family (his father Yamada Kenkichi and his uncle Ningen Kokuho, Yamada Jozan III) Yamada Kazu (b.1954) saw and greatly admired the works of Kato Tokuro and decided to follow the pathway of the Mino tradition. Creating tea wares in Shino, Seto-Guro, Oribe and Shigaraki ware, among others, his works have a fresh and dynamic quality to them which seem to have a Momoyama ideal that Oribe was founded on. Illustrated is a Kuro-Oribe chawan by Yamada Kazu with a rich black glaze with a wonderfully moist appearance bordered up against a transparent glaze with spontaneous, Zen-like splashes of black to articulate the area. The throwing marks, around the bowl add a great sense of gesture and perpetual motion to the bowl which follows in the footsteps of generation after generation of Oribe potters.

ACCUMULATION

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What may have been a perfunctory tokkuri in hands of most potters, has been transformed into a lyrical celebration and an excuse to have some sake. This tokkuri by Okabe Mineo is part of a body of work that pushed his pottery beyond mere craft and took full advantage of the qualities of clay, glaze and firing. The beauty and energy of his work comes from the spirited irregularity that has a great deal to say and is accompanied by the marks of the potter, incised in a direct and unconscious manner. Even in this simple piece, his attention to how the clay was handled is evident through the transparent Oribe glaze. In essence, like a long practicing Zen monk whose Zen calligraphy took just 5 minutes to execute, but a lifetime to perfect, Okabe understood the built in physical and mental memory that created his pieces, one after the other over the course of his lifetime, an accumulation of experiences. In the end, for potters like Okabe Mineo, and there are few, it is the subtle things that transform the good, to the great in such an honest and persuasive manner.

"What meaning do instinct or accident have in achieving form? Without a concrete and accurate understanding of materials underlying technique, no development is possible." A quote by Okabe Mineo from the catalogue; OKABE MINEO; A Retrospective.

A CUP OF GLAZE

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One of the real drawbacks of using the every depleting lepidolite Oribe glaze is that size does matter. The bulk of the work is relegated to teabowls, flat plates and medium size vases, bottles and mizusashi, all basically smaller pieces. The illustrated bottle is the exception to the rule, at nearly 14" tall, it posed its own unique challenges to glaze without making up a large amount of glaze, which was just not going to happen. The plus side of the glaze I use, is that poured or brushed, the surface tends to blend into itself in a rather homogeneous coating making it possible to glaze a large vase using little more than a cup of glaze. This vase, just under 14" in height has glaze built up a bit around the incised decoration and at the base of the depressed neck to create a darker contrast and adds a dimension to the surface that a solid and totally even glaze coat would not. The various areas of darker and richer glaze helps articulate the form and details and makes for a much more interesting surface. In all honesty, I was rather startled what could be accomplished with just a single cup of glaze.

O-SARA

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In discussing Oribe, many times I think of it as the glazed distant brethren of Iga and Shigaraki ware. In Iga/Shigaraki, though the pot may have a wide array of natural glaze effects from the firing, the clay and basics of the form  are on full display. Oribe has the same distinct quality about it, it has a similar richness and a propensity to run yet the clay underneath the glaze is there to see and enjoy. Each mark of the potter is crisply frozen and safely protected by the barrier of the glaze. Hayashi Shotaro is yet another wonderful Mino potter who creates unique, bold and inspired Oribe pottery. Over the years, first under the tutelage of his brother Hayashi Kotaro, Shotaro has developed a broad vocabulary or forms and clay textures which make full use of the various glazes he uses, especially his Oribe. The direct and aggressive manner in which Hayashi dealt with the clay of this Oribe o-sara is laid bare, except for a layer of his rich glaze that pools and accentuates every mark, depression and the textures that has created this highly gestural piece. This is both modern Oribe and Hayashi Shotaro at its best.

CU DIVERSITY

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Illustrated is a close-up of the interior of an Oribe Mizusashi by Kakurezaki Ryuichi apprentice; Ishii Takahiro. The interior, truly highlights the rich diversity that a copper glaze, in this case an Oribe, is capable of. Though only one glaze, as the glaze matured and pooled into the bottom of the interior, it has gone from a rich, translucent grassy green to  an opaque boundary of blue-green  with black spots being formed by the build up of  high concentrations of copper forming black metallic crystals. The opaque blue-green has also created an effect reminiscent of pine-needles floating about the surface. In terms of any Oribe glaze, I don't think you could have asked for more diversity and testament to the possibilities of using copper.
For anyone interested in learning more about the elements, I would suggest watching this short video.

UPDATE

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Whether a pot is conservative, abstract, cutting edge or obtuse, its basis and roots stem from some historical archetype. I remember an art history professor of mine being fond of saying; "everything comes from somewhere".  Case in point, a while back on my blog, I posted up a very fine Iga vase by Kojima Kenji, now some months later, I find it actually has two distinct origins. The first is that it was exhibited at the Mitsukoshi Department Store in 2004 and is illustrated in the catalogue. The second reference for this vase is the original early Edo era vase that the Kojima vase owes a certain amount of its inspiration to, the Katachi (the essence of design?). Though not intended as an exact copy of the early Edo Iga vase, the characteristics, bearing and posture of the original, can be seen in the modern piece. The one thing that can be said about Kojima-san, beyond his pottery and firing skills, is his in depth study of historical Ko-Iga and Iga pottery. Through his study he has been able to understand the clay, forms, kilns, firing and wood choices for firing much better, all leading to him being at the top of his game. (The left illustration comes from the Kojima Kenji Mitsukoshi Exhibition catalogue 2004 and the right one from JAPANESE POTTERY (1971) by Soame Jenyns.)
"The core of his oeuvre is steeped in the ages-old tradition of Iga and Shigaraki ware - tsubo and kame, tea ceremony and sake pieces, and most of all vases - but the range of the forms and different looks he achieves within those traditions, invigorates the spirit." An excerpt from an essay in the Mitsukoshi exhibit catalogue written by Peter Ujlaki.


AME-YU

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I have mentioned that a number of my current glazes are based on turning my trimming scraps into glazes, but I am not sure I mentioned how and when it came about. At the tail end of living in PA, I ran a bisque which included a pot that had been too close to the wheel while I was throwing terra cotta. I didn't notice the splatters on the piece and when it came out of the bisque, the terra cotta had fused to the pot, so I decided to glaze fire it anyway. Out of the glaze, it had turned into an almost Albany Slip like surface, so the die was cast; that is what set me on testing the terra cotta as a glaze. After a number (a big number) of tests with several additions to the base, I first came up with a rather nice, deep, rich amber glaze that reminded me of an Ohi ame-yu glaze and the name stuck. With more testing, I was able to make the medieval green, ao, tetsu-yu and temmoku all from the base with minor alterations and a certain percentage of the base calcined to solve the crawling problems.

The next step was to start to develop a vocabulary for the use of the glazes and the ame-yu was the first in line. White and black slips showed through the translucent glaze as well as copper and cobalt overglaze decoration were the first logic steps. I am not sure how I got there, but I made these Mediterranean styled pots and I thought, what makes more sense than to glaze them in a Japanese influenced Ohi Ame-yu glaze. Illustrated is a 12" tall jug with braided coil lugs and a copper rain pattern over the body of the pot. This piece was recently sent to me in an attempt to make a mate for it. The owner wants the pair to stand on opposite sides of a mantle. Though this is not my favorite thing to do, it sure beats trying to recreate a lid for a pot and after all, a challenge is a challenge.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

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Admit it, when you think of Suzuki Goro, Ki-Seto, Oribe, Seto-Guro and Shino spring to mind; however, his diversity  and experimentation is broad and quite accomplished. One of the staples of Suzuki's works as far back as the 1970's has been his Shigaraki influenced pots in every shape and size. Back in the 1970's and 1980's a good number of his pots were Shigaraki style while currently they seem to be a much smaller percentage of his output. His Shigaraki pieces have the same dynamic sensibility to them as much earlier Momoyama and Edo works and the clay is handled in a brusque and masculine manner that creates their bold, almost bushi-like nature. Add to Suzuki-san's bold handling of the clay, firings that accentuate and animate his pottery and you can not help but have a winning combination.

Illustrated is a very medieval inspired Shigaraki tsubo by Suzuki Goro. This tsubo has a very austere, weathered appearance and a powerful stance and presence. Striped of the superfluous, Suzuki has decided to let the bare essentials convey his message; the simple lines, lugs, decoration and ash bring the pot to life like a resurrected medieval pot, recently unearthed and still ready for any purpose or challenge.

MONDAY BLUES IX

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There is little I can say about this magnificent Persian influenced vase; from my perspective it is simply a masterwork by the late Ningen Kokuho, Kato Takuo. First thrown in a white clay and  painstakingly altered into a rectangular form, he accentuated areas around the piece with tool and spatula marks to further animate the pot. The upper tier has a number of hand modeled rams heads in various poses with accents of gold over the truly this inspired Toruko-ao glaze. The pot conveys an essential timelessness as if it had been made in 13th century Persia and survived intact to this very day. The white crackle "frosting" across the surface adds a sense of dynamic tension that creates a wondrous sense of the exotic and mysterious to yet another piece that is thoroughly out of place and out of time.

YOU KNOW ME?

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Illustrated is a simple yunomi, eminently practical and thoroughly useful made by Tsukigata Nahiko. It is this type of direct and unfettered work that helps glimpse into the true nature of the potter. Though best known for his Oni-Shino and Oni-Iga works, Tsukigata was quite adept at a wide variety of styles which included Ki-Seto, Shigaraki, Hagi and Kohihi wares. This Hagi style yunomi is made in one of his classic forms he used for gunomi, yunomi and even chawan and the surface landscape is highly animated with varying shades of color, ishihaze and crackled slip about the piece. The tall foot accentuates the vertical nature of the form and it is easy to see the piece in hand and in use as it was intended. Though simple in form and execution, it seems to me that the simplest of things are usually bound up in a maze of complexity.

A PINCH OF THIS, A PINCH OF THAT

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I have been testing variations to a few different formulas I use recently, my Oribe(s) included. For years I have used a small pinch of iron in the formula to temper the overall "green-ness" of the glaze and have decided to take it a step further. I recently made an overglaze composed of red iron oxide and frit made up extremely thin and then dipping the glazed Oribe (TPCu) pot into it. The addition of the wash over the Oribe has certainly tempered the green and created varying tones as well as softening the overall appearance. The bowl illustrated is a test bowl that I have been working out new textures on, the combination of the Oribe and the wash seem to accentuate the texture and create variation in the surface, especially in the recesses of the piece. In evaluating new glazes and surfaces it is rather important to keep good records, but I wonder how greatly "a pinch of this and a pinch of that" varies from potter to potter?

IT'S MONDAY

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It's Monday, a Monday after the completion of another cycle and a down day. The only studio work I did today was to clean up, put shelves, posts, pyrometer and gloves back in their spots and sweep the floor. It is a slow day, no orders on the books, no commissions and what to make next, is entirely up in the air at the moment. It's Monday and I think I will simply take satisfaction in that fact and another firing that came out well with no loses, no crawling, nothing stuck to the shelves, what more can you ask for?
Illustrated is a solemn, solitary print by Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997) entitled; NARA. This print reminds me of a quote that a friend was oft times heard to say; "All know the way, few walk it."   (Bodhidharma)

YURIKO!

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Illustrated is a close-up detail of underglaze yuriko copper red decoration on a very large tsubo by porcelain veteran, Yoshida Takashi. Born in Osaka in 1934, Yoshida had the great fortune to train with not one exceptional master, but three; Tomimoto Kenkichi, Kondo Yuzo and Fujimoto Yoshimichi, all three Ningen Kokuho for their porcelain works. The floral decoration stands out against the stark, pure white background and as you survey the decoration, the original brush strokes can be seen within the expanding halo of the copper red design. In areas that his brush first touched the bisque porcelain, faint green dots, punctuate the mostly red decoration. Once the pot was fully decorated, the piece was glazed over in a clear glaze, trapping the red and creating the lush and extravagant floral decoration. There is little room for error in this type of decoration which relies on spontaneity and speed to achieve its ultimate goal; yuriko!

HAGAROMO

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Illustrated is a close-up of the yuteki, oil spot style of Kimura Yoshihiro. This evocative surface calls to mind the play, HAGAROMO (The Feather Mantle). The luscious silver feathery trails reach down the tsubo like metallic tendrils enveloping the pot. Given the large size of the pot and the disastrous failure rate, the survival of this piece alone is a significant feat. Created by the son of master temmoku and yuteki specialist, Kimura Morikazu, Kimura Yoshihiro is the perfect inheritor of the dynasty pioneered and forged by the three Kimura brothers; Morikazu, Moriyasu and Morinobu.

You can see more pictures of this wonderful tsubo here;
http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1188146/item1188146store.html

MATSUKAWA

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I really enjoy the challenges and use of iron in glazing. I have an iron red glaze that can be used thin, like a wash to temper the surfaces of a glaze, like the Oribe and when used thick, it creates cascading waterfalls of streaks that I liken to matsukawa, pine bark. I first saw this matsukawa style in the works of Tsukigata Nahiko and was very interested in the effects and set about to do my best to recreate the look. Over time and experimentation, I was able to get the iron to not only behave in a certain way, but also to travel in predetermined pathways based on textures applied to the wet clay or through the use of slips. Illustrated is a oval teabowl with a diagonal bark texture which channels the iron diagonally around the bowl adding to its sense of momentum. The variation in tones from the amber of the texture high points and the lip to the running olive, iron red and mustardy yellow add to the visual texture as well creating a rich matsukawa pattern that compliments the bowl both visually and texturally. From my perspective, the iron has done its job.


INK CHAWAN

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Illustrated is a poetic ink and wash rendition of a Rimpa influenced Shino chawan by Mino veteran, Wakao Toshisada. The simplicity of the form, outlined in ink with no superfluous details, houses the ink and wash flower that decorates the chawan. Knowing the work of Wakao, the image conjures to mind how the chawan would look in clay and three dimensions. Though there is little detail, bare bones if you will, everything needed to know this chawan is rendered in a few moments of lyrical brushwork.

ILLUMINATED

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Our home, which is built into the side of a hill, faces south and takes full advantage of the sun as it crosses from east to west. In the back corner of the house is a room, at one time a bedroom, we have converted to a library and display area. At just the right time each day, the sun washes into the room from a rather oblique angle lighting up pots as it moves ever more westward. This is one of my favorite times of day to look at a pot that is up on a storage tansu as the sun baths the pot in light. The pot, moves as the sun moves with varying effects highlighted and dramatic reflections and shadows created that are unique each and every day. This instance is one of those moments that conveys the beauty, majesty and essence of the piece and is just another of the myriad of conversations that I can have with a pot. These are some of the moments why I am grateful to live with pottery.
Illustrated is a rather large, O-tsubo by master, veteran Shigaraki potter, Okano Hosei (b.1937). Having first studied with Kyoto salt firing pioneer, Iwabuchi Shigeya, once finishing his apprenticeship he founded his own studio/kiln specializing in anagama fired Shigaraki pottery. This pot was fired with the mouth slightly tilted toward the fire and the entire shoulder was covered with ash which over time built up, melted and blazed it own series of trails down the circumference of the pot. From my perspective, this pot is truly majestic as it is illuminated by the incoming sunlight in the late afternoon.

A QUIET DIGNITY

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I will start out by apologizing for not having any pictures to go along with this post, but I am respecting the wishes of the owner to keep the photos to myself. That out of the way, I recently had the opportunity to handle and spend time with a magnificent Fujiwara Kei Bizen chawan. Though a bit on the small side, its rounded form, exceptional potting and firing created a piece well beyond its measurements. Fired upside down, over half of the exterior surface is covered in cascading ash, tamadare, that all moves up to the lip, the remainder of the exterior and interior are covered in a beautiful, even serene purple hued hi-iro sheen with wisps of smoky trails where the fired had caressed the bowl. To some I am sure the bowl may seem out of step with what is modern Bizen, but the quiet dignity of the chawan exudes an inescapable eloquence that few potters can muster. What also can be mistaken for simple throwing is in fact a lifelong dedication to creating pots with a seemingly naive honesty that was present during the days of the Momoyama era. There was a time when this style of potting ushered in a second renaissance, similar to the Momoyama times and lead by the giants of the 20th century; men like Fujiwara Kei, Kaneshige Toyo, Arakawa Toyozo, Nakazato Muan, Miwa Kyuwa and a few others lead a resurgence of ideals that had been long lost. This particular pot and potter managed to create a new voice for Bizen that will act as a standard for centuries to come.

"True eloquence consists in saying all that is proper, and nothing more." Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

ABOUT THE OTHER DAY

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After writing about my recent Fujiwara Kei experience, I had several people ask to see the chawan in question. As I have previously explained, the owner did not want the photos put up. So, I rifled through a bunch of my books and found a very similar chawan, though in my honest opinion, it is not quite as good as the one I handled. The chawan I was fortunate to handle was made in 1978, the illustrated chawan was made sometime between 1974 and 1983. As you can see, the chawan was fired upside down and where it faced the fire, the ash built up and a rich, fluid, even molten tamadare flowed down to the lip, now correctly oriented, the movement seems to be trying to move off the pot, defying gravity. The rich purple tinged hi-iro is an excellent counterpoint to the ash and paints a very noble and dignified atmosphere about this chawan. The works of Fujiwara Kei are unfettered and uncomplicated, they present an honest expressions that is most welcome among the long standing Bizen tradition.

IT'S ABOUT FORM, IT'S ABOUT SPACE

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Form is truly magical, whether natural or manmade, it is responsible for everything you see from Fujiyama to the Pyramids and even you and me. Studying form is a wondrous pastime and among pottery, a great way to study pure form is to look at the great Chinese monochrome porcelains. They are uncluttered, most stripped to the barest essentials and pure in their creation. Over the years I have been influenced by a wide variety of monochrome pots while working out different forms that I am throwing, the illustrated pot is just such an example. This particular vase, measures just over 13" and is part of a group of pieces that owe their genesis to a Chinese vase I saw at the ROM many years back. Glazed in my dark, rich temmoku, the simple form called for simple glazing in monochrome with the interior of the foot ring being glazed in clear to add the stark contrast.  Though I have made these forms in various sizes and glazes over the years, it is the monochrome versions that give the fullest accounting of the form and the space which the pot commands. The simpler the pot and the glazing, there more it is all about form and space.

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