KilnLore@AOL.COM on wed 6 sep 00
I am very pleased to have heard from several potter's about their amazing
kiln guardian stories. Thank you very much for sharing your tales.
>From the comments that I have received about kiln gods since I sent out my
initial inquiry and offer to share information on this topic a couple of days
ago, I can tell that many people are just as interested in this subject as I
am!
Although I have been interested in kiln gods for years, I began my
investigation into the possibility of their actual existence while I was
living in Hong Kong (1996 - 1999). I helped to run a ceramics studio in Hong
Kong for three years, and while I was there I began making kiln god
sculptures in earnest as finished works which I showed in exhibitions. I also
do performance work, and as part of one of performance/installations I did
some investigating into a preserved small dragon kiln. The well preserved
kiln, although no longer fired (the smoke would pollute the air and the Urban
Council will not approve of any special firings) it is located in Tun Mun in
a still operational small pottery which is owned by the son of the man who
founded the pottery. Anyway, Mr. Leung and his Mother maintain a small shrine
at the front of the kiln which is dedicated to the Stove God, Tsao Chun. Now,
I know that Tsao Chun is a very important god in the pantheon of Chinese folk
religion, but I didn't really believe that he was the only kiln god to have
ever existed because watching over family dealings and interactions from his
official post near or in the kitchen stove is what he is normally known for
(Tsao Chun reports his observations to the Jade Emperor once each year during
the Chinese New Year). Because I believed that other kiln gods must have
existed, or still do exist in China, I began to research the history of kiln
gods in China through archeological papers. These papers which, I obtained
through the kindness of the assistant curator at the Chinese University
Museum, reported exciting accounts of kiln god stories and related kiln lore
information which had been preserved on carved stone steles. These steles
were excavated at various ancient kiln sites in China.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Because of the length of this story, and because I must go work (I am a
Doctoral student at Texas Tech and my library work study job is calling me) I
will write more about the kiln gods of China shortly.
Thank you,
Martie
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