Robert Yellin on sat 9 aug 97
This article appeared in the Japan Times on
August 9th.
'Sleeping Dragon Kiln Reawakens'
Ceramic artist Togaku Mori's kilns must be considered as much a part of his
creations as his quintessential Bizen pottery. This soft-spoken ceramic giant,
dubbed Bizen's kisai (great genius talent) has one eye looking back 500 years fo
kiln inspiration and the other eye fixed on 2008; yet he has both feet firmly
rooted
in the present. His works, mainly for the Tea Ceremony, can be seen at Nihonbash
Mitsukoshi department store's art gallery from August 26th-September 1st.
Togaku's deep spiritual pondering into the essence of Bizen alone separates him
from the ordinary potter- his success in doing the seemingly impossible has put
him in a class all by himself. Togaku has expanded the often stagnant world of
Bizen with his reintroduction of the O-gama (large single tunnel kiln) that firs
appeared in the Muromachi period. It was during that time that large kilns were
introduced to Bizen and in those magnificent structures Bizen masterpieces were
fired. There were three O-gama in Bizen, the North, South, and West kilns, where
guilds were responsible for the production of goods. These kilns averaged about
forty-five meters in length and five meters in width and held an incredible 35,0
pieces each firing.
Togaku speculates that an even greater kiln of 100 meters existed but it has yet
to be proven. The O-gama was replaced by the more economical noborigama
(multi-chambered climbing kiln) during the Edo period and thus ended the glory
days of Bizen. That was until Togaku had a dream.
Togaku's vision was to revive the O-gama, he feels it's the only way to create
Bizen that rivals that of classical Ko-Bizen(old Bizen). There were no manuals
left from the Muromachi period on how to build an O-gama so Togaku, an Okayama
Intangible Cultural Property, struggled for years trying to figure out how to
construct one- it was an ascetic undertaking. In 1972, he completed the first of
his O-gama in Aioi city in Hyogo prefecture. The kiln was dug on the side of a
mountain and measured fifty meters long; it was a work of art on to itself.
Loading the kiln took thirty days, the firing lasted an incredible fifty-five
days(usual Bizen noborigama are fired for between one and two weeks)and cooling
the kiln took another thirty days. Unloading and cleaning the pieces of excessiv
ash took more time- all in all, it was more than a full half year firing process
What came out of the kiln delighted and amazed the Japanese pottery world- yet
Togaku has always been exceptional.
Born into one of Bizen's six oldest(Hideyoshi appointed) potting families, from
early age he displayed creative talent- he built his first kiln while still in
elementary school. In 1962 he became an independent potter and only seven years
later in 1969, he was awarded the prestigious Japan Ceramic Society prize. That
same year he was part of the now legendary three-man exhibition along with the
late Shoji Kamoda and Issei Ezaki at Gallery Te. Togaku's pieces were purchased
the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and Kyoto. Yet he didn't rest on his
laurels and continued to search for the exceptional in seemingly ordinary large
jars, mortars, bowls, and utensils for the tea ceremony.
Togaku's traditional and original inspired shapes will not jump out at the viewe
with their brilliant colors or fancy designs. Rather, his pieces uphold
the aesthetics of Tea where tasteful, quiet, unostentatious beauty is the
desired. They are the closest Bizen to perfection in form that this
ceramic writer has ever seen. To the untrained eye they may appear overly plain
with no outward redeeming quality, yet this is exactly the quality that the grea
Tea masters of the past coveted- they were more interested in the 'spirit' of th
piece then its showiness. Togaku's spirit is as deep and pure as a holy well.
This rugged vase with two 'ears' has a light brownish-reddish coloring with
flecks of goma (sesame seed effect) softly sprinkled over its body. The clay is
not the usual ta-zuchi (rice paddy clay) with its high iron content that gives
most Bizen it's deep browns and reds, but a lighter yama-zuchi (mountain clay).
Three horizontal grooves have been carved into the upper portion while a single
swift bamboo spatula cut has been spontaneously etched in the center. Togaku's
kiln stamp of six small circles can be seen impressed in the upper middle of the
vase. As with most ceramics, it's subtle and modest beauty will be seen most
clearly in use when a simple flower arrangement is placed within.
This vase was not fired in Togaku's Aioi kiln though, he fired that one only onc
this piece was fired in his second O-gama (20 meters long)that he built in
Ushimado, Okayama prefecture in 1982. He named the kiln 'Samukaze'(Cold Wind). T
following year, he built yet another kiln in Ushimado, this one being 53 meters
length. He fires this kiln only once every four or five years, the first firing
being in 1985, again in 1989, 1994, and a firing planned for 1998. I've visited
this kiln a number of times and have never seen another like it- it's like a
dragon sleeping on the side of a mountain and every four years it awakes and is
fed with 300 tons of red pine wood.
Being the extraordinary man that he is, Togaku has plans for yet another
O-gama, one that seems beyond the power of any mortal human- for now
he enters into a realm where no other potter working alone has ever tred. Alread
the trench has been carved out of a hillside in Ushimado for a massive 90 meter
kiln that he plans to fire, only once, in 2008. It will take ten years just to
make the pieces to load into the kiln! Togaku will be 72 then and this sure to b
amazing firing will be his glorious swan song. Togaku will then quietly retire a
take up his new residence in the land of the Titans.
A one-man ceramic tableware festival will be held in Okayama at Tenmaya
department store from Aug.12th-18th.
Shimane based artist Hiro Ajiki has fun with what he does, his whimsical, yet
well-balanced forms have a very contemporary feeling and ambience.
Last year his Tenmaya show featured 99 tea bowls, but this year he has
gathered hundreds of tableware items- coffee cups, serving bowls, plates,
tea cups, large platters, tea pots and sake utensils in a variety of styles that
include sometsuke (blue and white underglaze porcelain), aka-e (overglaze
enamel), shio-yu (salt glaze), Hagi, Oribe, Shino and hakuji (white porcelain)
among others.
Ajiki wants this exhibition to be a festive affair to celebrate twenty years of
potting. This free-spirited multi talented artist is a sort of outsider in the
rigid Japanese ceramic world although he has not cut himself off completely.
On the contrary, he just does it his way and has been very successful indeed. Hi
numerous awards and prizes include Tanabe Museum's Grand Prize in its annual
Contemporary Tea Forms exhibition.
His keen sense and adept brush have gained him a loyal following among ceramic
collectors. It's a wonder that he can find the time to work in the midst of all
his travels- after dropping out of Mushashino University of Art he has visited n
less than thirty countries, mostly Asian and African. In a book published a few
years back he wrote, "To travel unknown roads, to be blown by unknown winds, to
meet unknown people, these things stimulate my creative will."
Sometimes he says though his 'creative will' is too lively and he must keep it
under check, but without that spark he would just be an average artisan-
the all-important asobi kokoro (playful spirit) is alive and well in Ajiki.
E-mail me any comments or questions at: rlyell@izu.co.jp
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