Akira Satake

Korea, Europe, the Americas, and abroad
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Bok
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 2:41 am

aet wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 1:59 am
I do not understand it. I mean this sort of art.
For me while I can appreciate the arty side of (some) of this kind of pottery, I do agree on its downfalls in regards to what matters most to me for tea – the taste of the tea in it and its practicability. Keeping this kind of thick cup hot enough, not to take cool my tea down to fast is the primary concern, so many aromas and flavours are volatile and change very quickly in the cup.

Second as you mention is that I do not want my cup to further alter whatever my tea brewing vessel has achieved. Which is why I have mostly abandoned any arty clays or glazes in favour of porcelain. I might care less for some teas, that are drunk casually.
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debunix
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:34 am

I've bought some pieces that have a quite coarse or rough appearance, because they were beautiful for contrasting colors and textures, little sparkles of jewel-like color and clarity or subtle gradations of earth tones. But the ones I like to use most are deceptive in having smoother than you'd suspect areas for fingers and lips to contact, indentations made to fit my hand, and often a lighter feel than their solid appearance--hence my earlier question about how this bold cup feels in use.

I've had some that turned out not to feel so great and are rarely used; others that are sleek and smooth but that just don't happen to fit my hands right and also have been neglected or given away.
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pizzapotamus
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 1:08 pm

aet wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 1:59 am
this is not referring to the particular artist , but just feel like to add personal opinion to this kind of pottery.
I'm going to be honest, I do not understand it. I mean this sort of art. But even if I skip that factor, I don't see it practical in matter of drinking tea and that's because the lips are touching the "rough" clay. ( that might be personal also because I prefer porcelain smooth surface without additional taste factor of any clay )
I think some of these are quite interesting but I'm with you on the practical matters. I'm super picky about my cups, I don't much care for thick rims but even worse is anything rough at all. I wish it didn't bother me but..*shudder* I just can't stand the feel of some of these on my lips =\ They don't even have to properly scratchy, just "rough". I still kind of want that last yunomi though...lol
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Youzi
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 1:24 pm

@aet
You are not alone. :?
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aet
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:06 pm

debunix wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:34 am
But the ones I like to use most are deceptive in having smoother than you'd suspect areas for fingers and lips to contact, indentations made to fit my hand, and often a lighter feel than their solid appearance--hence my earlier question about how this bold cup feels in use.
how do you determine that his cup can fit in your hand? I mean, if you buy it online, is there any technique what to look at?
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:17 pm

aet wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:06 pm
debunix wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:34 am
But the ones I like to use most are deceptive in having smoother than you'd suspect areas for fingers and lips to contact, indentations made to fit my hand, and often a lighter feel than their solid appearance--hence my earlier question about how this bold cup feels in use.
how do you determine that his cup can fit in your hand? I mean, if you buy it online, is there any technique what to look at?
You can’t. It’s a lottery
rdl
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:55 pm

aet
there is nothing wrong with an adverse reaction to this kind of expression, whatever the artist medium. and establishing what determines art from junk is a forever open discussion. i for one am very moved by this kind of teacup. i needn't wax lyrical because it is wholly subjective. but what i do think is magical about a cup like that, for me personally, is to match it with a tea equal to the boldness of the design.
any tea more delicate or nuanced, i don't feel is the right fit.
where i think you are absolutely correct is in your statement:
"I understand if taking pictures under proper lights and from certain angles with black background , it will make sort of "sculpture" impression ...gives the feel of art..."
i see all to many teawares of various makers, that never transcend the art (or the artist) to become receptacles for tea. these i don't care for. but the cacophony of brute, clay-earth baked force in a cup that humbly receives tea, i'm all for it.
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mbanu
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:40 pm

Kinda channeling "chunk chipped out of an urban crosswalk" with these, maybe from his time in NYC? :)
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iGo
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:32 pm

Just to be clear, this was not the result of a lottery. I actually purchased this at Akira’s studio in Asheville, NC. Felt very good in my hand straightaway.

Cheers.
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aet
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:48 pm

iGo wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:32 pm
Just to be clear, this was not the result of a lottery. I actually purchased this at Akira’s studio in Asheville, NC. Felt very good in my hand straightaway.

Cheers.
I believe you had opportunity to hold it in hand before purchasing, but my question was aimed on online buying. The offline presentation and marketing is a lot different experience.
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aet
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:57 pm

I actually don't know how such a pottery is called in English speaking world? in Chinese we call it tu tao 土陶 ..which is literally "soil pottery" ..I guess that express as a sort of raw , unrefined clay product.
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:52 pm

Victoria wrote:
Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:33 am
I'd like to share Akira Satake's work with TeaForum. I've held and admired a yunomi of his for several years now, and every time it is a new experience, like a visual microcosm unfolding sculpturally each time. His pieces are wood fired and some are then treated with Hikidashi. After realizing many tea drinkers wanted smaller cups, but not necessarily guinome size, he is now making slightly smaller yunomi/slightly larger guinomi which is perfect size for 50-120ml cups. Akira is originally from Osaka, spent some time in NYC, and now for many years is living in Asheville, North Carolina. To see more of his work you can go to Akira Satake’s web site. He has mastered his evolving craft.

Maybe other members can share their pieces with us here.

My sculptural Hikidashi yunomi made by Akira below. The thicker walled yunomi absorbs heat very well and its shape funnels aromatics ideally. The chamfered chiseled base receives the hand gracefully, like an offering to rest into. It is a work of art with real presence and feels perfect to hold and drink from. I was looking for a cup with strong character to pair with roasted oolongs and this is it, in cold winter months warming the hands.

Hikidasi “500 year-old Japanese technique which involves firing to an extreme temperature. Each piece is removed from the kiln, glowing red hot, using long metal tongs. They are rapidly cooled and placed in water.” from Akira’s web site



Image


Image



I asked Akira about his glaze on my yunomi;
Victoria, This is the color of clay before fired. Your Yunomi has shino glaze and splash of oribe glaze (has very small amount of copper in it ) After pull out from kiln (2300F) put in saw dust to get reduction and go to water to cool down. It's called Hikidashi.
Thanks, Akira
An example of unfired yunomi, provided by Akira Satake:
Image



To see Hikidashi in action from another craftsman;
is that the one which costs 225$ ?
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Victoria
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Wed Mar 11, 2020 4:37 pm

For those who don’t yet appreciate this work I’d suggest having an open mind and giving it time. Sometimes what is new and different to one’s own aesthetic ‘comfort zone’ can be unsettling. Possibly to embrace Japanese aesthetic philosophies, one has to have moved beyond concepts of classical Greek ideals of beauty. Japanese interdisciplinary art forms have a unique place in the history of aesthetics being centuries ahead of the 20th c. modern movement. It’s taken a hundred years for some to begin to appreciate the modern movement, it might take a thousand years to enjoy Japanese avant-garde 14th c. aesthetic philosophy.

Akira Satake is an internationally recognized craftsman because his pieces display a level of excellence and balance that few achieve. Like all craftsmen at this level, pieces for sale are carefully selected, those deemed not good enough are discarded. What appears thick and clumsy to some is actually a pleasure to use as a tea vessel and to hold. As is often the case with Japanese chawan, yunomi, and guinomi there is a special aesthetic side of a vessel to present to a guest, Akira’s pieces have this. With the act of rotating the vessel toward a guest, a sculptural spatial quality is introduced into the moment of sharing. On some vessels the rim might appear thick but there is always a perfect and comfortable spot to sip from.

The splashing and slashing on his pieces express Flux, Change, the Transient nature of things. I recently wrote to Akira to thank him because each time I hold his yunomi I feel blessed, like a butterfly came by and said - today is a good day, enjoy it.

If you have not yet held a piece like this, and without a knowledge of art history and philosophy, it will be difficult to discern quality.
A few book recommendations if you would like to explore Japanese wabi sabi aesthetics and philosophy (although there are many);
In Praise of Shadows, by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, by Leonard Koren
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Victoria
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Wed Mar 11, 2020 6:06 pm

aet wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:52 pm
is that the one which costs 225$ ?
Hi @aet I think at the time I got this yunomi it was +-150$. His work is for sure going to go up though, in my opinion it is still undervalued.
aet wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:06 pm
how do you determine that his cup can fit in your hand? I mean, if you buy it online, is there any technique what to look at?
I always get measurements before purchasing online, and compare those measurements to vessels I have as a reference. Visual and physical experience though I think is key to properly gauge a piece online.
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aet
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Wed Mar 11, 2020 9:18 pm

Victoria wrote:
Wed Mar 11, 2020 4:37 pm
without a knowledge of art history and philosophy, it will be difficult to discern quality.
I agree with this one for sure.
Seriously, I'm trying to look at his work from different angles and not seeing those $$$ of appreciation behind that.
But I'm delighted to hear that they are some people around willing to spend such a money for a cup.
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