Robert Yellin on wed 29 apr 98
Greetings from Japan-
Today is a national holiday here- Green Day- was just up in the
foothills of Mt.
Fuji.
Below is an unedited story that appeared in the Japan Times a few weeks
ago-
'Intricacy in clay worthy of diamonds.'
Also on the Shino topic of late- I have some catalogs of contemporary
Shino
masters and can get Arakawa or Kato Tokuro ones for the hard core fans.
Anyone want to buy Shino sake cup or teacup?
Anyway, may the clay gods enter your dreams and uplift your spirits.
Robert Yellin
Gesshu-ji (temple) in Kasama, Ibaraki prefecture is the seemingly
unlikely home of a Living National Treasure(ningen kokuho) ceramist, yet
Kosei Matsui(b.1927) has chosen to make Gesshuji his residence since the
mid-1950's. Besides being the current world master of neriage(marbled
ware), he is also Gesshuji's head buddhist priest. When I called
Gesshuji this past Sunday, Matsui was performing a memorial service in
addition to getting ready for a large exhibition in Tokyo at Nihonbashi
Takashimaya from April 15-21 after which it travels throughout Japan
until June.
In 1961, Matsui became enraptured with Chinese Northern Sung Tz'u chou
neriage(sometimes called nerikome) and decided to revive an old kiln at
Gesshuji that had been active from 1775 until the end of World War ll.
In 1967 he began to study with the late Living National Treasure
ceramist Koichi Tamura(1918-1987) and with Tamura's assistance Matsui
completely mastered neriage, which has its roots in 8th century T'ang
China, around 1971.
Matsui's style is not the combed feather designs like neriage
innovator-Mingei giant Kanjiro Kawai's neriage in the 1930's, but more
elaborate floral designs that show a brilliance of color and patterns
until now unseen in contemporary Japanese ceramics or for that matter
the world. "My colors are the first of their kind in the world- I think
they are the colors of the future that many people will imitate in fifty
years or so," he told me recently.
In 1993 Matsui was designated a ningen kokuho for his exquisite neriage
that is a glorious expression of his Buddhist faith in nature and
equally deep technique.
Two or more different colored clays are kneaded together like pastry
making, and cut to make intricate designs and motifs- a clay mosaic.
Matsui greatest challenge is to bring out the shine on the surface of a
piece- 'it's like a finely cut diamond or other jewel.' Many of the
pieces in the exhibition are titled Hariko-tsubo(jar) or Hariko-incense
burner(kogo)-
the term refers to the transparent hard surface. Some pieces have
intricately shaped petal-like designs or leaves that are awash in a sea
of color- soft emerald greens, Mediterranean powder blues, or
royal purples among others that are kept in Matsui's ethereal temple of
colors.
No one knows how Matsui has conquered all the obstacles that have faced
him in overcoming his artistic hurdles- he rarely allows visitors into
his studio and his published works on neriage vaguely hint at his
technique. It is almost a throwback to the daimyo days of old when kiln
secrets were so closely guarded that a snitch was punished by a more
brutal flame than those that burn a pot. But the word is out that a few
clay factories have uncovered his secrets and are ready to sell them
wholesale- before that happens, go fall under Matsui's mesmerizing world
of exquisite neriage.
About sixty Matsui masterpieces will be on display for sale- included
are tsubo, boxes(tobako), tea bowls(chawan), fresh water
jars(mizusashi),and koro.
After Tokyo the exhibition travels to Yokohama April 23-28, Kyoto May
13-19, Osaka May 27-June 2, and ends in Okayama June 10-16; all at
Takashimaya department store's gallery.
Another exhibition that will travel about, it just returned from
France's National Pottery Museum, is a large Bizen exhibition that
covers the span of a thousand years. It was a major hit in France and
offers Bizen fans a chance to see some great antique and contemporary
masterpieces in one shot as it travels to four locations in Japan.
The oldest piece dates back to the 11th century while the youngest pot
is by Ryuichi Kakurezaki who was born in 1950.
Standout pieces included a rare dated (1480) large eared jar, four
lovely Momoyama period tea caddies(chaire) including a square-shouldered
one with red fire cord markings(hidasuki) named Toun- a masterpiece of
form,
firing, and grace(hin). Also keep an eye out for a large Momoyama
hidasuki sake flask(tokkuri) that has two streaks of red 'lightning'
flashes across its body and five Toyo Kaneshige (1896-1967) pieces; he's
the man who rediscovered Momoyama period firing methods in the
1920's-30's.
One-hundred twenty-seven pieces will be on display with fifty being
Ko(old)-Bizen, twenty pieces by the past three and current Bizen Living
National Treasures(Toyo Kaneshige, Kei Fujiwara, Toshu Yamamoto, and Yu
Fujiwara), and fifty-seven pieces by other Bizen ceramists.
Admission is 700yen for adults, 500 yen for students, jr.high and below
free.
The exhibition starts in Osaka at Shinsaibashi Daimaru from the April
16-21. Next in Tokyo at Daimaru Museum located in Tokyo station from the
April 23-May 5. On to Hiroshima at Tenmaya from May 8-May 13, and
finishes in Okayama again at Tenmaya from May 20-May 25.
Another traveling exhibition is the 35th Asahi Ceramic Art exhibition.
This is one of the more prestigious juried ceramic events with over 581
ceramists submitting 681 pieces to be considered for acceptance- only
one hundred were with nine special prizes given. The Asahi exhibition
covers functional as well as sculptural forms.
This years grand prize went to Norifumi Kayano for his series 'clay
ball'- sixteen beige-purple toned small balls, all with stamped
impressions or creases, laid out in rows of four.
Starts today and runs to the April 26 at Tokyo's Meguro-ku
Museum(03-3714-1201). Moves on to Fuji City Bunka Kaikan in Fuji city,
Shizuoka prefecture from April 29-May 17.
I've always thought of potters as sort of alchemists- working away in
their studios changing clay into gold. Samon Takahashi(b.1948) is just
such an alchemist-potter; he has tested and retested thousands of times
his secret glazes. His finely crackled ko-hiki glaze or his olive green
ash-glaze are the epitome of the potters art and his work can be seen in
Osaka at Umeda Hankyu from the April 15-21.
Also in Osaka at Takashimaya is the Kyoto tenmoku specialist Koji Kamada
until the 14th. Kamada had a successful show in New York last year at
Gallery Dai Ichi Arts.
Other noteworthy shows include the The National Museum Of Modern Arts,
Tokyo Craft Gallery's(03-3272-8600) wonderful Modern Enameled Porcelain
exhibition until May 10. It features forty masterpieces from such
ceramic legends as Kenkichi Tomimoto(1886-1963), Hajime Kato(1900-1968),
Rosanjin Kitaoji(1883-1959), and Yoshimichi Fujimoto(1919-1992) among
others.
Take the Tozai subway to Takebashi station and go out exit 1b- it's
about an eight minute walk.
Bizen Gallery Aoyama(03-3797-4039) is having a Karatsu show from April
20-May 2. The gallery is located on Koto-dori in Aoyama.
Kuroda Toen(03-3449-3225) in Shibuya will host the fabulous Bizen
ceramist Shuroku Harada from April 24-29.
The 16th annual Izu potters show is on in Shuzenji at Shuzenji Sougo
Kaikan(0558-72-6530) located at the entrance to Shuzenji hot spring
until April 20. This year ten potters will be showing about 2,000
pieces. Standouts include Seiichiro Tsukamoto and Takehito Takeda.
Nearby in Mishima, Shizuoka prefecture at Gallery A Un(0559-72-1243) is
Canadian Rob Froese showing 150 of his Oribe and Ki-Seto wares from
April 11-21. Come by for the opening party tonight at 5:00pm and let's
toast to all the wonderful exhibitions this month!
e-mail me at: rlyell@izu.co.jp
Robert Yellin on tue 12 may 98
Greetings from rainy Japan-
The following is an unedited version of an article that appeared in last
Saturday's Japan Times-
'Potter Shimaoka strikes a cord'- hope ya'all enjoy it.
From Numazu,
Robert Yellin
Japanese ceramics are collected and cherished throughout the world and
it is not the rough austere wares such as Shigaraki or Tamba that have
captured the hearts of most collectors, it is the simple folk
wares(mingei) most exemplified by Mashiko pottery. The grand master and
perhaps the most famous Japanese potter the world has ever known is
Shoji Hamada(1894-1977), the person responsible for putting Mashiko,
Tochigi prefecture on the map. Through his unswerving efforts and
wholesome visions he transformed a small potting village into a large
ceramic center where potting disciples from around the world trek to.
The torch that Hamada lit has not burned out and has been passed to the
hands of his number one apprentice Tatsuzo Shimaoka(1919-).
'Meeting Mingei-Sixty years' is the title of Shimaoka's large exhibition
in Tokyo from the 13-25 at Ikebukuro Seibu department store's sixth
floor Art Forum.
In 1938 Shimaoka visited the Japan Folks Museum that Hamada and others
had established and decided that he wanted to be a potter. He enrolled
in Tokyo Technical College in 1939 and spent that summer in Gifu
prefecture relentlessly practicing throwing on the potters wheel.
In 1940 he paid his first visit to Hamada in Mashiko and was promised an
apprentice as soon as he finished his studies in Tokyo. In order to get
a wider view of mingei, Shimaoka traveled the country in the ensuing
years searching out folk kilns that would inspire and motivate him to
follow in the mingei tradition. The Pacific war interrupted his plans
and he was drafted and sent to Burma where he stayed until 1946. Upon
his return, as promised, he began his apprenticeship with Hamada in June
1946.
Studying under such a giant as Hamada and trying to follow in such a
powerful wake is indeed a daunting task and it took many years before
Shimaoka was to find his own distinctive voice. Hamada had always told
him to find a style based on mingei that could be called his own;
Shimaoka didn't have to look very far, only into his father's workshop
where he found ropes. His father was a master rope maker and since
Shimaoka had been studying rope inlaid patterns on Jomon style pots he
decided to bring back that form of decoration- it has now become his
trademark and the style that is inevitably associated with his name, in
fact almost every piece out of the 200 in this exhibition has 'Jomon' as
part of its name.
His Jomon style starts out with a twisted cord being rolled onto a
drying pot and then filled in with a white slip. After the slip has
partially dried, Shimaoka, or most likely one of his many assistants,
scraps it off the raised areas leaving contrasting colors between the
slip and glaze. Shimaoka uses a variety of glazes which include straw
ash, irabo(greenish yellow), nuka(light buff color), shinsha(red
copper), salt, and overglaze enamels.
Shimaoka's brush work lacks the fluidity and strength of Hamada's, but
he has created his own branch patterns in red, green, and yellow
enamels. Personally, I find these patterns a bit boring and much prefer
his ash glazed pieces like the rugged Jomon eared vase in this
exhibition(no.4 in the catalog) or his blue salt glazed pieces(no. 6 or
10 in the catalog).
Other forms in this exhibition include brush stands, ashtrays, small
serving bowls, jugs, teacups and bowls, sake utensils, square, triangle,
and rectangle molded pieces, and large plates.
For his outstanding work in the Mingei world, Shimaoka was designated a
Living National Treasure in 1996.
The first time I saw the work of Hiroshima's Yoshiro Kimura(1946-) I was
so taken aback with its glaring blueness.-how gaudy I thought.
But now after viewing his work for several years, talking with the man,
and adjusting my eyes from the earth tones of Bizen that I love so much,
I must admit that Kimura's work has become a favorite of mine.
What strikes the eyes after the intense azure blues is the sharpness and
sculptural brilliance of his forms- he is a master at throwing.
His larger sculptural forms and tsubo(jars) also make use of the only
glaze that Kimura works with; Hekiyu is the name he has given it- it is
a blue that he wanted to put on ceramics after visiting Greece and
seeing the cerulean sky melt into the sea. Particularly enthralling is
the rippling effect he has created and calls renmon. Renmon is a
chattering technique that looks like waves that enhance the
mediterranean blues that Kimura has so dazzling captured- his pieces
have the glow of light bouncing off water.
He fires his pieces several times and depending on the thickness of the
glaze, colors vary in tonality from light sky blues to deep turquoises.
It became a spiritual quest for Kimura to capture the ocean view that
had so impressed him in the Aegean sea- he had once pondered becoming a
monk and looking for his nature in Zen. Now his pilgrimage is inside his
forms and color and he has been honored with acclaim and awards that
include the grand prize in 1977 at the Hiroshima Prefectural Art
Exhibition, again grand prize at the 1st Contemporary Tea Forms
exhibition at the Tanabe museum in 1984, and the Hiroshima Culture Prize
in 1994.
His current exhibition can be seen in Tokyo at Akasaka Green Gallery
until the 23- Kimura will be there on the 22 and 23.
To get to Green Gallery take a subway to Akasaka mitsuke station and
exit onto Aoyama dori. Walk to the left until you reach the Doutor
coffee shop, turn left at that corner and the gallery is up the road on
the right. Call 03-3401-5255 for more information.
The Izu peninsula is home to many ceramists and one that deserves
attention is Masami Nagaoka- an Izu veteran for more then two decades.
His Shigaraki and Iga wares are high fired in his anagama(tunnel kiln)
for five days and brought out of the kiln covered with ash or natural
ash glazes of mustard browns or emerald greens. Larger pieces are
incised with flowing lines or wood-paddled designs while some smaller
forms have stamped impressions. Some of you might have caught his highly
successful show last year at Shibuya's Kuroda Toen(03-3499-3225) , but
for those of you who missed out his most recent work can be seen at the
same venue until the 13.
Also at Kuroda Toen from the 15-20 will be a much anticipated show for
sake lovers- the king of Bizen sake cups(guinomi) and sake
flasks(tokkuri)
Rokuro Nakamura(1914-) and his son Makoto's exhibition.
To get there exit JR Shibuya station onto Meiji Dori. Turn left and
walk past the McDonald's until you come to the pedestrian overpass. Go
up and across and you will be in front of the Metro Plaza; Kuroda Toen
is on the first floor.
Also in Tokyo is Junko Kobayashi's Mino ware show from the 12-18 at
Gallery Ginza Kan(03-3542-7692) located at on the first floor of the
Yamagishi bldg(Ginza 2-10-6). In Osaka catch Akira Yagi at Daimaru from
the 13-19.
NHK television has been airing a show on contemporary potters for the
past few years and has gathered 24 of them for a collective show in
Tokyo at Nihonbashi Takashimaya until the 19. Each artist will be
displaying about five pieces- standouts in the show include Yuriko
Matsuda, Chozaemon Ohi, Goro Suzuki, and Kazumasa Ohira. Entry to the
show is 800yen- I do have some pairs of tickets and will send them to
the first five readers who send me a request with a self-addressed
return envelope.
Send to me at: Nishisawada 637, Numazu-shi, Shizuoka-ken 410-0007.
e-mail me at: rlyell@izu.co.jp
Robert Yellin on wed 18 nov 98
Greetings from Japan-
It's been awhile since I last posted my Japan Times articles-
so I thought I'd do a little catching up- thanks Barbara for
the push. This unedited article appeared in last weekend's Japan Times
under the title 'A treasure in blue crackled glaze'
More to come.
From Numazu,
Robert Yellin
Since 1955 when the Japanese government has given out the title of
Living National Treasure or ningen kokuho to various craftsmen, a total
of 27 ceramists have been honored thus far. The first batch in '55
included Shoji Hamada for folk craft(mingei), Munemaru Ishiguro for his
iron glazed work, the Shino specialist Toyozo Arakawa, and Kenkichi
Tomimoto's delicate overglaze porcelain enamels. In between then and
now, potters working in Bizen, Hagi, Karatsu, underglaze blue, marbled
ware, and other styles have also been recognized for their outstanding
achievements in maintaining certain traditions and just last year a new
LNT was added to this illustrious list and the first celadon(seiji)
potter ever to reach this potters summit. Koheiji Miura, a third
generation potter from Sado island, is celebrating this feat with a
Living National Treasure Commemoration exhibition that travels to three
locales, now showing in Yokohama, then to Osaka, and ending in Kyoto.
Miura graduated from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music in 1955
with a major in sculpture. "I've always felt that before becoming a
potter it was important that I learn sculpture- I still believe that
strongly today and suggest to my students that they do the same," he
once said.
In 1953 the university did not have any ceramic facilities and Miura
built the first workshop and kiln and began his studies under Hajime
Kato, himself a LNT named so in 1961 for polychrome porcelains. Miura's
interest in celadon began around 1957 when he was a researcher at the
Gifu Prefectural Industrial Ceramics Laboratory. He continued his
research with trips to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan which has a
world famous Chinese Southern Sung dynasty collection of celadons.
Up until that time Miura had been making celadon using clay from
Shigaraki, he thought the clay his father was using back in Sado wasn't
suited for celadon production. But in the Palace museum, Miura turned a
Sung dynasty bowl over and his body began to tremble. "I could feel my
body shiver as I noticed the clay was so similar to my hometown clay- I
felt like what I was looking for was always right in my own backyard,"
he commented on the videotape shown at the current exhibit.
Celadon is the epitome of the potter's art and often called the most
difficult style to master. It requires flawless potting, precise glazes,
perfectly controled kiln temperatures and the willingness to have a high
loss rate,
up to eighty percent for a single kiln. Miura looks upon the loss as not
failures but as a necessary sacrifice in order to achieve perfect
celadon.
And Miura's crackled celadon wares with their soft blue glaze are the
closest to perfection since China's Sung dynasty Kuan wares.
Miura has traveled extensively throughout Asia and Africa and something
I find most commendable about this 65 year-old LNT is that he has taken
images from his 'third world' journeys and placed them on his majestic
vessels. A group of Cameroon dancers swirl atop one of his covered jars
or another has an oxen, the kind that plows the rice paddies of
Southeast Asia. Other pieces have underglaze figures painted on such as
camels, Islamic symbols, lotus flowers, or small Chinese fishing boats.
It is refreshing to see a great Japanese artist looking to these
'developing' countries for motifs to be placed upon such royal celadons.
It is Miura's plain crackled celadon that holds the breath of the viewer
while the painted wares are his playful spirit jumping continents- join
in the celebration of one of Japan's true clay ambassadors- Koheiji
Miura's magnificent world of celadon.
At Yokohama Takashimaya's seventh floor gallery until Nov.17. In Osaka
Nanba Takashimaya's sixth floor gallery from Nov.18-24. And finally in
Kyoto Takashimaya's sixth floor gallery from Nov.25-Dec.1
Another celebration taking place this month is the Nara based potter
Shiro Tsujimura's thirtieth year anniversary exhibition. Tsujimura is
arguably one of most powerful wood-fired potters this century- no easy
statement to casually toss about and the evidence can be seen at three
venues this month.
For tea bowl collectors do not miss his exhibitions in Nagoya and
Toyohashi at Maruei. Tsujimura will show Shino and Ido style(ido means
'well'- from which water is drawn) chawan(tea bowls.) The most famous
Ido chawan in the entire world and also a Japanese national treasure is
in the collection of the Kohoan, a subtemple of Datokuji in Kyoto; this
priceless chawan is named 'Kizaemon' after its initial owner Kizaemon
Takeda, a merchant of Momoyama period Osaka. By the way, Kizaemon was
made by some unknown potter in Korea.
Tsujimura's Ido bowls contain the same spirit of Kizaemon and will be
designated as national treasures in a few centuries down the road, I'm
that sure of this potters depth- he is one in five hundred years and
even though he has received celebrity status, he still retains the
spirit of Yanagi's unknown craftsman.
His most powerful pieces are his large jars(tsubo), thirty of which will
be shown, along with chawan, in Osaka(some tsubo will also be in the
above mentioned shows). These mammoth natural ash glazed pieces, once
used as storage jars and now used for pure display or flower
arrangements, are at times overpowering and yet so refined in their
naturalness. Long drips of glaze flow across the shoulders of
Tsujimura's tsubo and the natural battlefield scars of the intense kiln
environment are also evident; bits of broken pots fused on the sides or
small pockets of charred ash tell of the intensity of the fire.
Tsujimura accepts these 'kiln gifts' as the work of the 'kiln gods'
working in partnership with him; it is a very rewarding joint venture
that has paid tremendous dividends- Tsujimura's contemporary woodfired
masterpieces.
In Nagoya Maruei until the 18. At Toyohashi Maruei from the 26 to Dec.
1. And in Osaka at Hankyu department store's sixth floor gallery from
the 17-24.
A plethora of exhibition announcements and catalogues found their way to
my Numazu doorstep this month and I'd like to encourage those of you who
want to learn more about contemporary Japanese ceramics to go check out
as much as you can.
In Tokyo: The colorful and popular Yokohama based potter Masahiro
Maeda's tableware exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi's sixth floor
gallery until the 16.
Mashiko based ceramist Ken Matuzaki's 21st annual show at Shinjuku Keio
department store's sixth floor gallery until the 18. He fires Shino,
Oribe, and ash-glazed works- Matsuzaki was the longest apprentice of
Tatsuzo Shimaoka- the current LNT of Mashiko. I always go to this show!
The legendary co-founder of Sodeisha(an avant-garde ceramic Kyoto group
of the mid 20th century) Osamu Suzuki across the street from Nihonbashi
Takashimaya at Kochukyo from the 16-21
At Ichirin, the young and talented Kazuma Nakano will be showing his
Oribe wares- this guy is good and reasonable. Ichirin is located in
Nakano-ku on the Seibu-Shinjuku train line. Call 03-3387-4588
Kaji Nanako, a great woman potter, has a show in Roppongi's Savoir Vivre
from the 24-Dec.2. From Roppongi crossing head for Tokyo Tower and the
gallery is located across the street from Fuji Bank in the AXIS bldg.
Call 03-3587-0318.
In Sano, Tochigi prefecture, Living National Treasure Uichi Shimizu
exhibition at one of Japan's finest ceramic galleries, Fujinoya until
the 18. Call the gallery at 0283-23-0700 for further information.
And finally in Osaka is the multi-talented Kazuo Takiguchi showing 120
small incense burners of various designs- another ceramic artist to
watch closely. On until the 17 at Takashimaya and moving on to Tokyo
from Dec. 2-8 at Nihonbashi Takashimaya.
Well, that should keep ya'all busy for a month or so and if you want to
know of more exhibitions(space limitations) do email me at:
rlyell@izu.co.jp
Robert Yellin on sun 10 jan 99
Happy Hoppy New Year from Japan-
This is the Year of the Rabbit by the way.
Sending off an unedited story that appeared in Saturday's
Japan Times under the title 'Tricentennial of a Kyoto Master.'
There is a nice catalogue for those interested.
From Numazu,
Robert Yellin
"Truth is seeing the new in the ordinary"- Santoka
In the world of Japanese ceramics we begin the year with a huge hop into
a three hundred year pond; the anniversary of the founding of Kenzan
Ogata's(1663-1743) Kyoto kiln.
Kyo-yaki(Kyoto pottery), which Kenzan is known for, was first made in
the latter half of the seventeenth century by Ninsei Nonomura and was
further developed by Mokubei Aoki(1767-1833). These three are often
called 'The Three Great Masters' of the Kyoto school.
To celebrate the founding of Kenzan's kiln in 1699, a traveling
exhibition is touring Japan. I might add that it was no easy feat to
bring together so many of Kenzan masterpieces, as well as a sweeping
look at the tradition of Kyoto pottery from Ninsei to Chojiro to
Kyo-yaki up until the end of the nineteenth, in one exhibition.
Kenzan was born into a rich merchant family and had a very artistic
upbringing studying calligraphy, lacquer, painting, and Zen.
When his father died in 1687, Kenzan changed his name from Gonbei, his
nickname sine childhood, to Shinsei meaning 'deep meditation' and
retired to a small hermitage which he dubbed Shusei-do.
Nearby Shusei-do was Ninsei's pottery and Shinsei would often visit to
study ceramics. Ninsei never formally named Shinsei as an apprentice but
he did teach him glazing and even shared a book of pottery secrets known
as the 'Edo Densho.' In the twelfth year of Genroku(1699) Shinsei
built a kiln on a large mountainous tract in Narutaki provided by his
patron Tsunahira Nijo, and began to sign his works Kenzan, which means
'mountain to the northwest.'
Kenzan often worked in collaboration with his brother, the gifted
painter Korin, and also with Ninsei's son who formed many of the pieces.
His greatest contribution to Japanese ceramic art lies in his designs
and furthering the tecniques of overglaze enamels(iro-e) and underglaze
painting(sabi-e). He had the genius to take from the Rinpa style of
painting and textile themes which he transformed onto ceramics; bold
colorful designs in greens and reds set around flowers, maple leaves or
grasses. Some of his square plates act as canvases as in the plate that
looks like a landscape painting or the set of 10 plates which depict
scenes from nature. His work is mostly low-fired lead glazed work on a
white slip with underglaze iron-oxide paintings or overglaze enamel
designs; an iridescent brilliance and modern sense of design fill all
Kenzan's work. Quite a few of his pieces have waka poems painted in iron
brush.
Volumes have been written about Kenzan including Bernard Leach's 'Kenzan
and his Tradition' published in 1966. I might add that successive
generations of Kenzan's have been named(which in part account for the
endless first generation forgeries) and Leach studied with Kenzan Vl and
along with Tomimoto Kenkichi was given the final name in the Kenzan
line, Kenzan Vll.
The first Kenzan, after a career of five decades, sadly died in poverty
in Edo.
'Kenzan and Kyo-yaki' is a splendid chance to see the glories of Kyoto
ceramics and the beauty that has awed hearts for centuries.
'Kenzan and Kyo-yaki' at Nihonbashi Takashimaya until Jan. 19. In Kyoto
at Takashimaya's Grand Hall from May 20 to June 1. and in Osaka from
June 3-15 at Nanba Takashimaya. From June 26- July 25 at Shimane
Prefectural Museum and ending at Ibaraki Prefectural Historical Museum
from July 31- August 29. At Takashimaya admission is 800 yen for adults
and 600 yen for students.
Smack under the shadow of Mt.Fuji in the small village of Oshino,
Yamanashi prefecture can be found the studio-workshop of Yuriko Matsuda.
In this gorgeous setting Matsuda has pieced together one of the most
successful careers as a women potter working in an often male-dominated
domain. I say 'pieced together' for that is exactly how Matsuda forms
her work; it's been called 'clay patchwork.' Her work can be seen at
Kandori in the lobby of the Hotel New Otani from Jan. 10-17.
She begins by taking a wad of clay and rolling it flat and forming
strips that she then wraps over a mold and continues this process to
form a vessal.
Her decorative forms all draw heavily on three influences, Kutani's
gosai or five-colors(red, yellow, green, dark blue, and purple), Imari
wares and particular the use of gosu(cobalt blue) and Chinese Ming
period Jingdezhen non-Imperial kiln styles' kinran-de; a technique which
features gold decoration.
It was through her teachers at Kyoto City University of Fine Arts that
she was introduced to these ancient styles. She had the kiln gods
already on her side when she was fortunate enough to study under some of
this centuries best known mentors, Kenkichi Tomimoto, Yuzo Kondoh, and
Yoshimichi Fujimoto. At that time women were not allowed to load or fire
the kiln and had to return home at 4 p.m. Matsuda protested this archaic
practice and organized a group(with the two other women in the program)
to lobby for equal responsibility. She lost, but with a deep
determination went to Kanazawa to study overglaze painting and then to
Tobe, Ehime prefecture to study gosu underglazing. She graduated from
the university in 1966.
Matsuda's work is comical, witty, and like Kenzan's, very decorative.
Since her pieces are not formed on the wheel, she has more freedom to
expand on pure cylindrical shapes. Often we see bags, bowls with tulip
shaped ridges, tea pots with various fruits or vegetables as lids, or
Mt. Fuji objets with a banana as the moon. The hatchi(bowl) pictured is
one of her more traditional forms with a lively design; a gold patch
with yellow circles over a green base which alternates in purples, blues
and reds. The kodai or footring wasn't carved out of the base but was
attached and is known as a suke-kodai. The piece was fired four times
and cooled very slowly as to avoid cracking.
It is a wonderful mixing of the old and new, east and west and all the
sights that Matsuda has seen on her travels around the world; she often
exhibits abroad and has won the Gold prize at the Faenza International
Ceramics exhibition. "Japan isn't like the west in that we Japanese like
to mix and match different styles, like when eating, we can use a Kutani
sake decanter with a Bizen cup. That combination of differences is what
motivates me to work," she told me recently.
The current show will have its emphasis on utsuwa(containers) and
Matsuda will be in the gallery the 10th, 14th-15th and the 17th.
The Japan Ceramics Society(Nihon Toji Kyokai) will be presenting a 40th
anniversary exhibition of past winners of its prestigious Japan Ceramic
Society Prize and Gold Prize from Jan. 23-30 at Ginza Wako's sixth floor
hall.
The Nihon Toji Kyokai sho was first awarded in 1955 to Junkichi
Kumakura, an avant-garde ceramist, the Seto potter Mineo Okabe, and
Uichi Shimizu, a current Living National Treasure for his iron glazes.
Altogether a total of to seventy artists have been given the prestigious
award and the top gold prize to a mere fifteen, these include
Kichizaemon Raku XV, celadon LNT Koheiji Miura, and Sodeisha founder
Kazuo Yagi. Out of the seventy only three women, Takako Araki, Hakuko
Ono, and Kyo Tsuji, have won the award- there are a few others quite
deserving including Yuriko Matsuda.
A good chance to get a quick overview of mid-late twentieth century
Japanese ceramics in one shot and for those interested I will lead a
run-through on the exhibition on Jan. 29- for more info contact me by
email or fax.
email Robert Yellin for information on pottery tours and the above
exhibition: rlyell@izu.co.jp Fax: 0559-26-0302
Robert Yellin on wed 27 jan 99
Greetings from early morn Nippon-
All's well here though the world only hears about the
sluggish economy. Hope all's swell wherever your
wheel is spinning- sending an unedited article which
appeared in Sat's JT's for those of you that might
be interested.
Off to drink the best green tea in the world!
Robert Yellin
Eiroku Okuiso, Handeshi Kawakita, Zenji Uragami, and Kuroemon Kumano are
all the names of Japanese ceramists and it took me days to remember each
one.
I'd bet my last guinomi that many of you have had the same problem in
putting names to memory; it's no easy feat but worth the effort to help
form that list of who's who. In this column I often write about an
artist more than once and this should help you remember those that need
remembering, Anjin Abe is one such ceramist.
Abe(pronounced ah-bay) is one of the secret treasures of Bizen pottery.
He belongs to no associations and hardly has any contact with other
potters. The only exception was his collaboration with the late Masuo
Ikeda, a renowned woodblock artist- author who later took up pottery.
Harking back to the glory days of Bizen in the Momoyama period, Abe
fires Bizen that often mystifies viewers and leaves them wondering how
he does it. But for him it's very simple, a fire-pause-fire method that
fires the kiln first and then the pieces loaded within; this allows for
the temperature in his totally underground anagama to become even from
the roof up to the ceiling and that way the flow of the fire in the last
stage will not just rise to the hottest parts but will burn intensely
and evenly. He prefires by stoking during the day and cooling at
night(this prefires the kiln to about 200C) for four or five days. On
the last day, he continuously adds pine wood to the kiln for twenty-four
hours and then stops the process. It is an intense last burst that fires
his pieces to the core.
This method contrasts greatly with the one week to ten days 24 four
hours a day firing of almost every other potter in Bizen. In addition,
Abe's method cuts down on the usage of red pine wood, thus conserving
resources..
His Bizen is without a doubt on the top tier of contemporary Bizen and
only two other Bizen ceramists,
Togaku Mori and Shuroku Harada can match Abe for their Momoyama period
inspired wares.
In Kita-Kyushu starting today at Togei Salon Takeda(541-4297) until Jan.
31. Located across the street from the Mainichi Kaikan, a ten minute
walk from the south exit of Kokura station.
Another 'regular' of Ceramic Scene is Shiro Tsujimura whose exhibition
is on at the Chado(Tea Ceremony) Shiryokan in Kyoto until March 10.
It's true that Tsujimura does have a very well-connected manager and
this may be of some influence in his popularity, but I doubt it.
Tsujimura just happens to make some great tea ceremony wares, plain and
simple. Of course with any potter, amateur or professional, not all
pieces from the kiln come out successful; most likely only twenty to
thirty percent are of exhibition quality, the rest are mostly seconds.
Tsujimura doesn't place his faith in only one kiln firing before an
exhibition but fires his seven kilns throughout the year to insure a
good selection. Another interesting thing about Tsujimura is that after
he unloads his kiln he leaves the pieces out his backyard to acquire aji
or flavor, which is so sought after among collectors. There are
literally thousands of pieces scattered around his compound as well as a
few guard dogs.
The current exhibition is unusual in the fact that it is only the second
time ever that the Chado Shiryokan has exhibited a contemporary potter,
the last time was Shin Fujihira's exhibition six years ago. In addition,
the selection of pieces was made by Seizo Hayashiya, the former head
curator for the Tokyo National Museum ceramic division and a prolific
author on Japanese ceramics. He choose some pieces that would never make
it into an exhibition for sale; there are works with cracks, gold
repairs and fused on pieces that would make them unworthy for the
department store gallery. But that is an artificial world and the world
of Tea is concerned with naturalness. Is a piece born out of the natural
world of the kiln 'bad' or is it the judgement of the human mind that
makes it so? Some of the pieces in the exhibition definitely challenge
me to reconsider that point.
Many styles will be shown which include natural ash glaze(shizen-yu),
Ido(a deep pooled tea bowl), Hikidashi-Guro(black wares pulled red hot
out of the kiln), Hakeme(brushed on white slip) and Shino.
Admission is 500 yen for adults, 400 yen for college students, and 300
for other students. The Chado Shiryokan is located in the Urasenke
Foundation Center and from Kyoto station take bus number 9. More
information is available by calling 075-431-6474.
Handeishi Kawakita(1878-1963) was a potter that had my tongue tied for
more than a few days.
Kawakita was born in Osaka to a very wealthy family which had its
interests in banking and electricity.
Pottery making entered his life around 1912 when he made a Raku style
kiln in his yard. Up until that time Kawakita was a devout practitioner
of Tea and knew from use what made a good chawan(tea bowl)- the correct
balance, the interesting kodai(footring), the smooth kuchi atari(how the
piece feels to the lips), and the mikomi(inner pool). Yet he was no
professional, in fact his potter name Handeshi refers to that and
loosely means 'not fully involved with mud' and was given to him by his
Zen teacher Daitetsu.
Naming was another gift that Kawakita had, especially with his chawan.
An NHK art program which aired in 1991 when a Kawakita exhibition toured
Japan, had the panelists raving about Kawakita's named chawan.
Many tea utensils are given poetic names by chajin(tea men) or Zen
masters and the names are written on the boxes that accompany the piece.
Kawakita's chawan have names such as "Hide and Seek,"
"Ages to Come," "Wealthy man of Iyo," "Frosted Hill," "Calling a
Cloud" or "Winter Kimono." These names struck the panelists as
refreshing and showed Kawakita's great sense of humor.
Kawakita was an amateur but he was a serious one. He traveled
extensively around Japan and Korea researching old kiln sites and in
1934 he built a climbing kiln(noborigama) in Tsu, Mie prefecture; the
kiln was named Chitoseyama. He also associated himself with the finest
potters of the day, all of whom were eventually named Living National
Treasures; Toyo Kaneshige(Bizen),
Toyozo Arakawa(Shino), and Kyusetsu Miwa(Hagi).
These men would often visit Chitoseyama and offer advice on the kiln
firing, reciprocal visits were also made. In 1942, Kawakita along with
his potter buddies formed an association 'Karahine-kai' which was more
of a drinking group than a study group.
He didn't stick to any one style but fired Hakeme, Shino,
Black Oribe, Karatsu, Ido, and Aka-e(red overglaze enamels) among
others. The postcard for the current exhibition shows a large Shino
chawan with a single finger wipe sitting under Kawakita's calligraphy; a
poem which refers to the changing light of dawn on pine trees, possibly
those in his garden.
A total of 34 pieces will be shown which also include in addition to
pottery, Kawakita's hanging scrolls and drawings. Handeshi Kawakita's
pieces are rarely shown so this is a good chance to see one of the most
beloved chajin-potters of the twentieth century.
In Nagoya at Art Salon Kogen(Showa-ku,Takigawa-cho 47-153, ph.
052-839-1877) until Jan. 31. Closed Monday.
Eiroku Okuiso, one of the names I mentioned earlier, was a Shino potter
on verge of greatness when he passed away in 1987 at the age of
fifty-seven. His chawan are unheralded masterpieces that will
unfortunately forever stand in the shadows of Arakawa and Tokuro Kato's
chawan.
Okuiso's son Taigaku has since taken over the kiln and will be showing
until Jan. 31 at Kuroda Toen(03-3571-3223) in Ginza on Ginza-dori
7-chome 8-6 next to Wendy's.
Japan Times sake columnist John Gauntner and I will be showing the finer
points of sake and sake utensils on Feb. 20 in Tokyo- for info please
email me or send a fax.
Also, there are a few spaces left for the Japan Ceramics Society
exhibition tour on Jan. 29.
Email me at: rlyell@izu.co.jp
Fax: 0559-26-0302
Robert Yellin on sun 14 feb 99
Greetings from Valentine Japan-
Yes, it's true, Valentine's has invaded Japan and little cupid
was even spotted flying over Mt. Fuji this morning- no bow and arrow
though just a wicked sword.
I'm poting an unedited article which appeared in yesterday's Japan Times
under
the whimsical title 'A cup of cheer throughout the year'- my editor's
choice.
From Numazu,
Robert Yellin
The seasons often play a vital role in Japanese culture and this
fondness for nature is strongly seen in the world of Japanese ceramics.
The theme and utensils of a tea ceremony are closely entwined with the
seasons or the lunar calendar and are a big influence in the selection
of tea bowls(chawan) and other related tea articles.
A kaiseki meal(the meal that precedes a tea ceremony) often features
delicacies that are seasonal and the vessals that are used for serving
and drinking are also chosen to enhance that once-in-a-lifetime(ichi-go,
ichi-e) encounter where those who appreciate simple beauty harmonize
with the changing moods of nature.
The Nezu Museum in Tokyo has put together an exhibition with such an
ambient theme in mind as its current special show is 'Seasonal Table
Settings with Vessals for Sake Drinking' on until March 14.
What this exhibition all comes down to is aesthetics-
some may say that any meal or alcoholic beverage can be enjoyed from a
paper plate or cup just as well as if from the most refined cups or
dishes. I beg to differ. The enjoyment of the dining senses goes beyond
taste only and should include sight and touch as equals. That's where
the Japanese have exceled. Rosanjin, that famous epicurean-potter once
said, "If clothes make the person, than dishes make the food." I agree
somewhat with this famous quote but I don't want anyone to think that
you can put swill into fine crystal and get fine brandy; Rosanjin was
the epitome of a borderline snob aesthete and gourmet chef.
Yet, a fine wine should be drank from an appropriate glass and the same
holds true for sake. A sake flask(tokkuri) matched with a sake cup
(either called guinomi, choko, sakazuki, shuhai or hai as in Shino-hai)
has captured the hearts of sake lovers for centuries. An old aphorism
dating back to the Momoyama period states that, "Bizen sake flasks make
sake better!"(Bizen no tokkuri sake ga umai).
The true sake connoisseur often matches a Bizen tokkuri with a Karatsu
guinomi, preferably a Madara-Karatsu or a Chosen-Karatsu one. Madara
Karatsu is covered with a thick opaque white glaze of ash straw
containing traces of iron, which melt during the firing to emerge as
flecks in the surface of the glaze. Chosen Karatsu uses the same white
glaze as Madara but with a dark brown iron glaze applied on top.
Masterpieces of Bizen as well as Karatsu are on display along with many
styles of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other sake utensils which
include Dutch, Vietnamese, Swatow, and glass. Many lacquer
inlaid(maki-e) plates and picnic sets can also be viewed.
The charm of this exhibition is the themes that the curator, Hiroko
Nishida has chosen.
Walking into the large hall we find the month of January's vessals under
the theme 'Celebrate the New Year' and 'At a New Year's Party.'
A hanging scroll, in January's case one of Mt. Fuji and another of
Jurojin(one of the seven Gods-Shichifukujin), is prominently displayed
above the settings for each month to set the mood. Small serving
dishes(mukozuke) and spouted pouring bowls(katakuchi) are also on
display for some months.
The setting for the New Year's Party(Shin-nen kai) shows a tall Oribe
tokkuri from the Momoyama period on a rectangular tray with a plain Muji
Karatsu guinomi also Momoyama, a slender stripped Ogata Kenzan(Edo
period) overglaze enamel cup,
a Momoyama Ki(yellow)-Seto low set guinomi, a 17th century Vietnamese
guinomi and a 17-18th century Dutch Delft cup.
'Viewing with autumn leaves' is the theme for October and again features
masterpieces such as a bold rounded Korean Yi dynasty(Richou-1392-1910)
Keiryuzan Punch'ong tokkuri with iron brown designs. This tokkuri as
well as many other Korean pieces feature a highly desired characteristic
on the body that only appears after years and years of use. It's called
amamori or 'leaking rain' and shows up as spots or clouds on the
surface.
On the slightly raised rounded tray next to the Korean tokkuri are a
six-sided Ki-Seto guinomi and a Shino guinomi, both Momoyama along with
a shallow Yoshidaya(Kutani) floral design cup in overglaze enamels from
the Edo period.
Some other Korean styles include Mishima, another Punch'ong ware, which
derives its name from the Grand Shrine of Mishima located in Shizuoka
prefecture. It's characterised by stamped or incised designs inlaid with
a white slip or a clay of contrasting color from the body. A calendar
which the Mishima Shrine produced in the Edo period resembled the
designs on the Korean pottery and thus the name. A marvelous Mishima
katakuchi(in spite of its chipped lip) can be seen in the 'Listen to the
whispering sound of late autumn' section.
Other themes include 'Valentine Day: Sake for two' which has some
splendid glass pieces,
'Hinamatsuri: The Girl's Festival,' 'Cherry Blossom viewing parties,'
The Summer Solstice', The Harvest Moon', and 'Warm sake in winter.'
Close to two hundred pieces are on display and all being so small it's
hard to take it all in at one time.
I went for a preview a week ago and plan to go back again. Some of my
favorite pieces that lingered in my mind for days were a small crane
necked(tsuru-kubi)
Bizen tokkuri with deep scarlet red markings(hidasuki), a fat voluminous
Korean Blue-Ido tokkuri with fine crackles sufficing the surface, a
small red(aka-e) guinomi with a phoenix painted in the center, and an
eight-sided Hirado underglaze blue(sometsuke) landscape tokkuri. There
are many other Japanese styles including Imari, Hagi, Kakiemon, Shodai.
I would trade a weeks pay, maybe two, to just be able to use a few of
the pieces even for one night.
All of the pieces from Japan are either from the Momoyama or Edo periods
and works from other countries are just as old.
The museum has been kind enough to put together a list in English of all
the pieces and be sure to pick one up at the front counter. For those of
you with internet access, the Nezu has a homepage at
www.nezu-museum.minato.tokyo.jp
A scant selection of this exhibition is shown.
Admission is 1,000 yen for adults and 700 yen for students. Take the
Hanzomon or Ginza subways to Omotesando station and go out exit A5. Turn
right and walk for a few minutes and you'll see the Nezu in front of
you. Closed Mondays.
I'll lead a walk-through of the exhibition focusing on Japanese ceramics
on Feb. 26 and will limit the group to seven. Contact me for more
information.
For those of you who can read Japanese, the March issue of Chisana
Tsubomi magazine has a cover story on the Nezu exhibit.
Also the current issue(#17) of Tohjiro magazine has a special feature on
contemporary sake utensils and is available at most larger bookstores. I
write a column in Honoho Geijitsu magazine entitled 'A hundred views of
sake utensils'(Nippon shukki hyakei) that might interest some of you.
Also in Tokyo is Shiro Tsujimura at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi's sixth floor
gallery until Feb. 14
In Okayama is Fumio Kawabata, a Bizen artist who uses a very light
colored clay which he calls shizen nerikome- it works particularly well
with hidasuke.
At Tenmaya's fifth floor gallery until Feb. 15.
e-mail Robert Yellin at: rlyell@izu.co.jp or fax
to: 0559-26-0302
Fara Shimbo on fri 12 jul 02
Hi, Folks,
Was just cruising the net and found that the Japan Times Online
has a whole arts section devoted to ceramics. Might want to check
it out. Some amazing stuff on display.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/arts.htm
Fa
--
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Fara Shimbo, Master Crystalliera, Certified Public Nuisance
Shimbo Pottery, Box 41, Hygiene, Colorado, USA 80533
www.shimbopottery.com ^^^ www.crystalline-ceramics.info
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ken kang on fri 12 jul 02
Robert Yellen who writes those articles for Japan Times has a web site on
Japanese ceramics.
http://www.e-yakimono.net
Aloha, Ken
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fara Shimbo"
> Hi, Folks,
>
> Was just cruising the net and found that the Japan Times Online
> has a whole arts section devoted to ceramics. Might want to check
> it out. Some amazing stuff on display.
>
> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/arts.htm
>
> Fa
| |
|
