Japan is filled with great centers of ceramic production: Shigarake, Bizen and Tokoname, just to name a few: for this blog discussion will focus on unglazed or naturally glazed vases, except for one.
The flower container/vase (hanaire), were frequently placed in the tokonama, a special alcove in a tea room. The tea guest would ponder the hanaire in the tokonama, frequently paired with a wall hung hand-scroll that presents the general theme of the tea ceremony; for example autumn foliage in the hanaire and orange pumpkins painted on the scroll would announce cooler, shorter days and the seasonal theme of autumn (aki).
The hanaire is one of the prized possessions in a Japanese household; it passes down the generations, hand to hand with its own special storage box (tomoboko) that consists of Japanese calligraphy that reveals the maker and the history of all those who have owned it. While the pottery maybe signed the box reveals the pottery maker and the provenance.
The first hanaire was created at a shigaraki kiln, where potters use a high-quality, buff-colored clay that features coarse feldspar grains. The feature of Shigaraki ware is the thick green glaze that appears naturally over the burnt reddish-brown color clay takes on during the firing. Where it is not possible to see the reddish-brown color clay in this photo as it is on the opposite side.
Throughout the ages the Shigaraki kilns in Shiga Prefecture have produced outstanding pieces for the tea ceremony. These pieces are far and beyond the hanaire and water containers (mizusashi). The item below takes on a wabi-sabi aesthetic made influential by Japan's great tea master Sen-no-Rikyu. Wabi means poverty, and sabi means loneliness. To be poor and removed from worldly things, along with the beauty in aloneness with one's self and with nature, the aesthetic aspirations inherent in Japanese culture.
The flower container/vase (hanaire), were frequently placed in the tokonama, a special alcove in a tea room. The tea guest would ponder the hanaire in the tokonama, frequently paired with a wall hung hand-scroll that presents the general theme of the tea ceremony; for example autumn foliage in the hanaire and orange pumpkins painted on the scroll would announce cooler, shorter days and the seasonal theme of autumn (aki).
The hanaire is one of the prized possessions in a Japanese household; it passes down the generations, hand to hand with its own special storage box (tomoboko) that consists of Japanese calligraphy that reveals the maker and the history of all those who have owned it. While the pottery maybe signed the box reveals the pottery maker and the provenance.
The first hanaire was created at a shigaraki kiln, where potters use a high-quality, buff-colored clay that features coarse feldspar grains. The feature of Shigaraki ware is the thick green glaze that appears naturally over the burnt reddish-brown color clay takes on during the firing. Where it is not possible to see the reddish-brown color clay in this photo as it is on the opposite side.
Throughout the ages the Shigaraki kilns in Shiga Prefecture have produced outstanding pieces for the tea ceremony. These pieces are far and beyond the hanaire and water containers (mizusashi). The item below takes on a wabi-sabi aesthetic made influential by Japan's great tea master Sen-no-Rikyu. Wabi means poverty, and sabi means loneliness. To be poor and removed from worldly things, along with the beauty in aloneness with one's self and with nature, the aesthetic aspirations inherent in Japanese culture.
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| Shigarake Hanaire |
The next three items are Bizen pottery. Bizen is one of those ancient kilns that still remain active today. Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery) is non-glazed stoneware made with iron-rich clay from Okayama Prefecture, often fired in wood-fired kilns using red pine. The firing process uses only natural ash-glaze. The small vase (hanaire) below has a hole on the back designed to be hooked onto the wall or a natural tree pillar on the side of a tokonama. The small hanaire and the larger one below were created by popular potter named Mori, his name means forest.
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| Hanging Bizen Hanaire Signed with a symbol for Mori Tozan |
Again, the next two tall vases take on a wabi-sabi aesthetic, and both have ears. Starting in the sixteenth century, some vases started having ears. The idea was taken from one of Japan's seven folk gods, named Jurojin, who represented long life. Tradition has it that Jurojin, an elderly man should be depicted with long ears (showing his long life), a beard, and a tall, doomed bald head. This vase was initially shaped on a wheel and then reformed by hand to make it more oval and causing the mouth to have a wide crack.
The reformed vase is done by hand, with the intention of creating an imperfect, off-center shape. The front of the two vases below, have a central vertical line made by the potter running his finger or pottery tool down through the wet clay. These Bizen pottery pieces are dearly loved by their Japanese owners.
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| Bizen Hanaire Signed with symbol for Mori Tozan |
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| Photo Taken From: Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, 1981 (Catalog) Mori Tozan - Noted Japanese Ceramicist |
This next Bizen vase fully illustrates Jurojin's long, hanging ear-shaped handles attached by the potter. Even the ear lobes provide grace and balance to this tall vase by Toshu Yamamoto. Yamamoto (1906-1994) was named a "Living National Treasure" in 1987, and was a master of the pottery wheel. Many of his masterpieces were items for tea and sake celebrations. His delicate, refined style was highly prized by tea ceremony masters, and his nickname was "Teacup Toshu".
Yamamoto's Bizen vase has a surface that is brown with golden streaks. The bottom is round and the mouth is pinched oval, he has used a tool to incise the clay, creating small ridges at the ear level. The attached ears look like ornamentation on each side. His works are several noted collections including the Mike Mansfield (Longest Serving American Ambassador to Japan) Collection, Missoula, MT and London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The bottom is signed with a strange triangle shape.
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| Bizen Hanaire Signed with symbol for Toshu Yamamoto |
Finally we celebrate the unknown artist that created the hanaire below - a great white color that might find its celebrated use in the winter.
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| Pottery Hanaire with White Glaze and Small Ears Signed ___________________________________________________________________ ©2021. Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The photos and blog was created by Mr. Waller and all written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot #walleryoblonskyblogspot #Japanesepottery #hanaire |
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