KilnLore@AOL.COM on sat 9 sep 00
Welcome to Kiln Gods continued ... This is the second "installment" of a lose
narrative of how I came to know about the kiln gods of China. (My name is
Martie Geiger-Ho, and I began my explanation about what I know about the
practice of kiln guardian worship in China and Hong Kong on Clayart, Sep.
6th. Also for more concise information and photographs about the kiln gods of
Jingdezhen and Shiwan please see my article "Guardians of Fire and Clay: The
Legacy of China's Kiln Gods" in Studio Potter, June 2000, Vol. 28, No. 2).
As I was explaining in my last entry, the only references to kiln gods that I
was able to find any information on in Hong Kong was the Stove God, Tsao
Chun, who was serving as the Kiln God of honor at Mr. Leung's pottery, and
some articles about kiln guardians whose praises and stories were carved on
stone steles which were excavated at ancient kiln sites in Northern China.
Additionally I also was able to locate a couple of ancient kiln god myths
which were reprinted in Chinese anthologies about Chinese Gods in general.
While the finding of ancient kiln guardian stories was very tantalizing, and
Mr. Leung's alter to Tsao Chun was evocative and enlightening, I felt that I
was missing a great deal of what had to exist on the kiln gods. What I was
really seeking was a clue as to where temples to kiln gods might have once,
or still could exist. Since I was a practicing potter in Hong Kong, and I was
teaching at both the studio that I was helping to run, I - Kiln Studio and at
the Pottery Workshop, I felt that I was in a good position to inquire about
kiln gods.
My first big clue about where the kiln gods might be found came from Robert
Tichane's classic book "Ching-Te-Chen: Views of a Porcelain City," (1983). In
his book Trichane does not single out the issue of kiln guardians, but
instead he allows this topic to remain enmeshed in his book's historical
accounts which describe the ceramic practices of Jingdezhen.
My second big clue about the location of kiln gods came when a friend of mine
at the Pottery Workshop came back with a slide of the kiln gods that she said
she had taken while on a tour with other potters from Hong Kong. She said
that she only noticed the kiln gods because I had talked to her incessantly
about them and had asked her to please go looking for them. (My friend who is
from Hong Kong, had previously visited Jingdezhen as a student at the
Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute for three months and since she had never heard
about the existence of any kiln gods she was quite surprised to encounter
them during her return visit.)
Anyway, after seeing Cassandra's slide (yes, she showed us only one) of the
kiln gods during a lecture that she gave on Jingdezhen and her ceramic work
at the Pottery Workshop, I made my own arrangements to visit Jingdezhen.
TO BE CONTINUED... (Because of time and space I will conclude this story
about the discovery of a large temple and other kiln gods in addition to
those photographed by Cassandra.)
Thank you, Martie
P.S. For more information on kiln guardians, please visit my web site at:
http://www.kilnlore.com
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