Lee on sat 9 feb 08
On Feb 8, 2008 10:53 PM, MacIntire, Matt wrote:
> Lee, I'm wondering... culturally speaking, are those pots objects of
> art, rather then utensils? In other words, are they meant to be looked
> at, rather than eaten from?
No, they were all made for function and were not made at
all just "to look at" at all until after Sen No Rikyu and the
discovery of Raku. Raku made unglazed stoneware popular for tea
ceremony as high fire was influenced by the rugged look of the early
raku.
Primarily, all pots were made for the kitchen and to assist
in rice agriculture. Louise Cort's book on Shigaraki is an excelent
source of information. My library system in Minnesota has it.
It wasn't until after the introduction of the noborigama
in 1the 17th century, that stoneware became affordable for widespread
tabelware use. Before that, it was primarily used for storage, the
kitchen and other specialized uses like oil lamp drip plates. They
mostly used wood (just like europe) and lacquer wood.
> Are they pots about POTS?
Did not get the upper hand until modern times and the
development of a large middle class. In medieval times, they were
subsidized by feudal lords.
Actually, the use of the anagama was ended by the
introduction of the more efficent noborigama and they were not fired
for hundreds of years in Shigaraki. They were only revived in recent
times. I highly recommend Louise Cort's book.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Tochigi Japan
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water, then you make the
tea. Then you drink it properly. That is all you need to know."
--Sen No Rikyu
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
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