Textured Porous Clay: Aesthetics & Transformations in Japan

rdl
Posts: 135
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:43 am

Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:37 pm

Victoria wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:20 pm
Bok wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 12:20 am
Victoria Interesting topic!

I wonder if I should contribute some of my wood-fired pots, although they are Taiwanese? I believe that the potters here copied, or at least got heavily inspired by the Japanese way of firing. Some Bizen pieces have the exact same colourings and surfaces as are typical for the Taiwanese wood fired wares.

What I am surprised is that the Japanese ones are absorbing in nature! The Taiwanese ones are so a very tiny bit in the beginning, after a few times of use, that is normally gone. Maybe difference in firing temperature?
Yes, please share Bok. I think I’ve seen some highly textured Taiwan pieces with kiln burn and that use ash glaze. From what I understand so far (limited knowledge) pieces from Shigaraki and Iga are high fired, so it must be the clay. Don’t know enough about other regional approaches yet.
Bok,
I too encourage you to show and please tell. I am not familiar with Taiwanese wood fired pots, nor am I familiar with your work, which just recently I read a few words of yours referring to it. Always much to learn.
User avatar
debunix
Posts: 1812
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:27 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:57 pm

Victoria wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:05 pm
I love the thin walls combined with texture, embedded sea shells (?) and youhen color changes. The natural ash glaze is something to observe. Your’s has fully melted Shizenyu, and very nice Bi-doro green glass ash glaze as well.
...
Watanabe Aiko is in Iga, and she built her own anagama kilns there. Unlike most traditional potters, she does not come from a multi-generational family of potters. Beautiful piece you have. ...
Thank you for the compliments. It is a lovely piece, and after the sad loss of my Eichii Shibuya Malibu cup (cracked until unsafe to use, I think simply from temperature shocks),

Image

I realized I needed to be a lot more cautious with these delicate pieces. I am very cautious with this one, and use it mostly for senchas where the temperatures start lower and increase gradually.

The shells are imprints, not embeds.

I'm impressed that such wonderful pieces (this is not her only lovely piece that I've seen and drooled over on Artistic Nippon) came without a family tradition.
User avatar
Victoria
Admin
Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Contact:

Mon Sep 02, 2019 4:15 pm

:shock: TAD alert I see @debunix that AN has many of Wantanabe Aiko pieces in both yunomi and guinomi sizes;
https://www.artisticnippon.com/product/ ... index.html

Also, I think the inclusion of sea shell imprints is a reference to the origin of the clay used, in what was once a seabed geologically.
rdl
Posts: 135
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:43 am

Mon Sep 02, 2019 4:32 pm

Victoria,
I think you feel the appreciation for your initiating this topic. It opened so nicely with beautiful pieces from your collection and rich pieces of your knowledge. And thank you for the kind words.
When you write: "I’ve been thinking about highly textured Japanese teaware pieces..."
Thinking you were.
Its nice to put the artistic with the technical, scientific to enhance whatever one's views are of this kind of work.
I am curious about how you formulate your purchases? That pertains to all your pieces, but it then seems that location, artist, style, grabs your attention in focusing on them.
As had been said, this topic is pushing us to confront an esthetics that has a real discomfort, like the thorns of the rose bush.
User avatar
Victoria
Admin
Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Contact:

Mon Sep 02, 2019 6:37 pm

debunix wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 12:18 pm
I've got a piece that fits this topic: an Igayaki piece by Watanabe Aiko that manages both sleek glassy green pools and drips and gray ash, thin delicate walls with coarse texture that seems like it should leak, but does not.

Image

Image

Image
@debunix how much does your piece weigh and it’s size? I’m curious because most of my Shigaraki Iga pieces are not heavy, but not light either. Some are thick, some are thinner. I guess it depends on components in each clay used. Since yours is pretty thin, I’m wondering if it is light as well.
Ethan Kurland
Vendor
Posts: 1026
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:01 am
Location: Boston
Contact:

Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:29 pm

rdl wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:29 pm
…..
Then offering best wishes, you leave with these parting words: I still don't like it.
Have I mistaken your self appraisal? I find it refreshing.
Yes, rdl. You understand me. Being understood is most refreshing. Cheers
User avatar
steanze
Vendor
Posts: 985
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:17 pm
Location: USA

Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:30 pm

I thought I'd contribute to this thread with this kyusu by Yamada Jozan III

P1110797 (1).JPG
P1110797 (1).JPG (394.66 KiB) Viewed 9843 times
IMG_20190304_112433885_HDR.jpg
IMG_20190304_112433885_HDR.jpg (92.09 KiB) Viewed 9843 times
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:54 pm

So here a few of my own Taiwanese wood-fired pieces. Some might have seen those, as I posted them elsewhere a few years back...

Those first three shown the most typical colouring and texture found in Taiwan. Clay is local.
Attachments
B5A8DB42-460A-4F90-AC27-03EF117A2A93.jpeg
B5A8DB42-460A-4F90-AC27-03EF117A2A93.jpeg (41.16 KiB) Viewed 9839 times
80529A57-FAE3-4882-812D-02D6DA8ECCC9.jpeg
80529A57-FAE3-4882-812D-02D6DA8ECCC9.jpeg (47.08 KiB) Viewed 9839 times
3C0091E7-11D9-4518-AC41-FBC623FCA31B.jpeg
3C0091E7-11D9-4518-AC41-FBC623FCA31B.jpeg (50.06 KiB) Viewed 9839 times
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:56 pm

These three are all made of different clays, two from Japan, on more coarse from Taiwan(same as previous post’s).

That Japanese clay is specifically made for wood firing.

The metallic look is also quite typical for Taiwanese wares.
Attachments
68335C0D-B15B-49F2-9949-0989A5F4A708.jpeg
68335C0D-B15B-49F2-9949-0989A5F4A708.jpeg (37.16 KiB) Viewed 9837 times
C83FAB35-E7FE-42F6-AE01-548A76511CAA.jpeg
C83FAB35-E7FE-42F6-AE01-548A76511CAA.jpeg (68.27 KiB) Viewed 9837 times
65CA2C54-7C70-4E6C-9950-D1FEF8616FEB.jpeg
65CA2C54-7C70-4E6C-9950-D1FEF8616FEB.jpeg (46.97 KiB) Viewed 9837 times
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:58 pm

Last one is yet another Taiwanese clay, and although it looks like it’s glazed, it is not... all the result from fire and ash.
Attachments
39678967-F794-4137-B7C8-6BCCC4DCE2BC.jpeg
39678967-F794-4137-B7C8-6BCCC4DCE2BC.jpeg (52.36 KiB) Viewed 9837 times
E532F678-8F6B-463C-A17D-9963013ECBFD.jpeg
E532F678-8F6B-463C-A17D-9963013ECBFD.jpeg (55.57 KiB) Viewed 9837 times
User avatar
Victoria
Admin
Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Contact:

Tue Sep 03, 2019 2:01 pm

steanze wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:30 pm
I thought I'd contribute to this thread with this kyusu by Yamada Jozan III
98C331FD-A2B0-424B-9540-DBC47B92CEA7.jpeg
98C331FD-A2B0-424B-9540-DBC47B92CEA7.jpeg (174.48 KiB) Viewed 9812 times
@steanze your Jozan is so beautiful. What size is it? Mine is just 85ml and I’m wondering what Japanese tea he was thinking of using in such a small pot. Maybe gyokuro. How does the clay look inside your kyusu? Wondering if it is blackened by reduction firing, or if the clay used was dark brown with added kaolin chips. Mine used a beige clay with no youhen or ash deposits inside.

501ED351-586F-4C7A-9541-56E2CB7066C4.jpeg
501ED351-586F-4C7A-9541-56E2CB7066C4.jpeg (395.97 KiB) Viewed 9812 times
User avatar
Victoria
Admin
Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Contact:

Tue Sep 03, 2019 2:07 pm

Bok wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:54 pm
So here a few of my own Taiwanese wood-fired pieces. Some might have seen those, as I posted them elsewhere a few years back...

Those first three shown the most typical colouring and texture found in Taiwan. Clay is local.
Looks a lot like Bizen.
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Tue Sep 03, 2019 7:33 pm

Victoria wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 2:07 pm
Bok wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:54 pm
So here a few of my own Taiwanese wood-fired pieces. Some might have seen those, as I posted them elsewhere a few years back...

Those first three shown the most typical colouring and texture found in Taiwan. Clay is local.
Looks a lot like Bizen.
Yes, I believe the potters here must have picked it up from the Japanese.
User avatar
steanze
Vendor
Posts: 985
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:17 pm
Location: USA

Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:13 pm

Victoria wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 2:01 pm

steanze your Jozan is so beautiful. What size is it? Mine is just 85ml and I’m wondering what Japanese tea he was thinking of using in such a small pot. Maybe gyokuro. How does the clay look inside your kyusu? Wondering if it is blackened by reduction firing, or if the clay used was dark brown with added kaolin chips. Mine used a beige clay with no youhen or ash deposits inside.


501ED351-586F-4C7A-9541-56E2CB7066C4.jpeg
Happy you enjoy it :) the size is about 150ml. For your 85ml, probably he had in mind gyokuro. Looks like a great pot for a concentrated session. The clay inside mine is dark brown with added chips.
Last edited by steanze on Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
steanze
Vendor
Posts: 985
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:17 pm
Location: USA

Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:26 pm

Ok, one more :)
By Ito Sekisui V, living national treasure of Sado isand:
IMG_20190903_232018319.jpg
IMG_20190903_232018319.jpg (51.27 KiB) Viewed 9777 times
IMG_20190903_232325650.jpg
IMG_20190903_232325650.jpg (53.63 KiB) Viewed 9777 times
Post Reply