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Bizen Guinomi By Mori Tozan


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Well, I had intended for my most recent contribution to this forum - the Narumi-Oribe guinomi, to be my last for a while. But after stumbling across another severely underpriced gem, here I am!

 

Bizen is one of the oldest Japanese pottery traditions, a member of the "six ancient kilns" with roots back to the Heian period, and evolving into its own sometime during the Kamakura. The local clay is iron rich, which results in the dark tones and earthy range of colors associated with Bizen ware. Like many other art forms, it reached its peak during the Momoyama-early Edo period, at which point six families were officially designated to produce these wares by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. One of them, and also one of three that are still active today, are the Mori.

 

 

The piece shown here is brought to you by that lineage, a dynamic and classical work by Tozan (b. 1938). With high-fired, unglazed styles (yakishime) such as Bizen, the individual character is left to the nature of the clay and its processing, how the potter controls the fire, and the placement of the vessels within the kiln.

 

Bizen firings occur over a period between 10-14 days, and use red pine wood for fuel. Red pine contains a resin that yields a high temperature fire, which is gradually raised until peaking at 2,200-2,300°F around the one week mark. As the wood burns, charcoal ashes fly throughout the kiln and stick to anything lucky enough to catch them. The result is a natural, caramel colored glaze called goma - the name coming from its resemblance to sesame paste. Some are flowing (nagare-goma) and others spotted (tobi-goma), with this piece showing off a cosmos of the latter.

 

Rotating the piece away from the goma flurry, there lies another characteristic of Bizen (and all yakishime) called an ishihaze. Meaning "stone explosion", this is a product of the native clay. While some potters work to remove as many impurities as possible, others prefer a gnarlier look. Bizen shrinks dramatically during firing, and small stones can burst to the surface like the one seen here.

 

It is with these infinite, unpredictable kiln effects (yohen) that Bizen has been captivating pottery lovers for centuries. The dark clay flashes hues of glossy purple, scarlet and bronze with a halo of contrasting matte sunset orange on the back - the result of being shielded from the flow the fire.

 

 

 

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A very nice modern piece here, Evan.  Thanks for posting this (and the review of Bizen firing practices... ;-) ). 

 

Here is a ko-Bizen "pail-type" Mizusashi I managed to acquire earlier this year.  The colors and textures achieved in the firing process on this piece are really excellent.  Late Momoyama to earliest Edo. 

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

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Barry and Arnold, 

 

No problem gents, glad you found it informative!  And Barry, have I got a book for you if that's your thing.  It's called Turning Point: Oribe and the Arts of 16th C. Japan.  A wonderful exhibition catalog of many period ceramics that runs the gamut of Mino, Raku, Bizen, Iga etc.  The write ups tend to get a little repetitive if similar motifs or firing practices are involved, but overall it's a stunning read front to back. 

 

 

Steve,

 

A wonderful water jar, but of course you know its merits ;).  Love those crusty yohen deposits on the back and the flavor of the clay is stunning.  I usually prefer the slouchy and bulbous mizusashi, but the indents on this piece are just enough - delighfully waggish.  A question about the lid if you will - do you suspect most of these had them made and fired with the pot?  I've noticed many ko pieces have lacquer or ivory ones, but turning point references a couple ivory lids as "probably" not original, which suggests they show enough age to where they could be contemporary to the jar.  Of course the lid would be the most likely to fall victim of a drop, constantly being removed - so perhaps many are replacements for this reason?  

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Hi Evan,

 

Lids on mizusashi are a rather interesting sub-topic.  As is probably not surprising given the many intricate aesthetic considerations attaching to anything Tea, the type of lid on a water jar carries different connotations of formality and status.  While lacquered lids are considered more formal, ceramic lids hold a higher status, despite their appearing less "polished." 

 

I believe that many lacquered lids are original to the piece.  High-fired ceramic stoneware is not especially likely to break, and even if a lid were to be damaged, the art of kintsugi would, perhaps, allow for it to continue to be used. 

 

The contrast between the earthy strength of Bizen, Shigaraki, and Iga vessels, on the one hand, and the smooth black, lustrous polish of the lid used on a mizusashi, on the other hand, I'm sure expressed an aesthetic that had high value in Tea Culture sensibilities.  Same would go for the ivory lids on tea caddies, though here, the contrast would likely be much more subtle, since caddies themselves were usually less "crudely wrought" ;-)  than works coming from Iga, Bizen, or Shigaraki kilns. 

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

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Here I live very close to Bizen and yet I have never really studied it, although I have one elderly potter friend and I have visited the exhibition hall in Inbe many times. I took a laughing Buddha incense burner to their Shinsa one year but being on the cusp of Edo/Meiji, it was given as 'not' KoBizen. Many thanks for your well-written tutorial, Evan, which contained several interesting eye-openers.

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Steve,

 

I'm glad you touched on the durability of Bizen. I read that high fired wares were very resilient, but didn't know to what extent.  I think I took that to mean they hold up to the daily bumps and bruises a little better, but surely it would still be in pieces after suffering any significant fall!  Good to know, and hopefully mine is never accidentally put to the test.   :unsure:

 

Great info regarding the different lids as well - I had no idea the material used was dependent on the setting.  Makes perfet sense though and I completely agree about the contrast a black lacquer variant would provide against a rugged jar.  I've seen a couple Iga vessels with these, and no doubt it is appreciated in the same way as a lustrous Setoguro chawan filled with soft green usucha. 

 

 

 

Piers,

 

I'd love to visit and the number of world class potters that have kilns and/or studios in that immediate area is staggering - the maker of this cup is one of them.  And please feel free to post some pictures of your koro!  The Buddha motif sounds lovely and I quite enjoy incense related wares (or anything used in the tea ceremony, really).  The first piece I bought on my yakimono adventure was an ao-Oribe kogo and it's still one of my favorites.  I'm glad you enjoyed my humble write-up and found it to be illuminating - now get on over to Inbe! 

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Unfortunately I do not have the laughing Buddha any more Evan.

 

My students would sometimes ask me what presents they should take when going abroad on homestays, and would Bizen pottery be suitable. Sadly I used to point out that no, it is too heavy in the suitcase, certainly in multiples, and liable to breakage, so not really 'suitable' per se, unless they were to take really small pieces and wrap them well. There are other traditions in this area which could be more lightly and easily transported!

(See Natsukawa fans, for example, traditionally made by the families of Bushi as a side earner in Okayama.)

 

http://www.pref.okayama.jp/page/349953.html

撫川うちわ(英訳)Natsukawa Fans
Designated March 1, 1982 Cloud patterns, called “poem succession,” which read haiku and below, patterns of natural beauty are arranged by “watermark” techniques. In the middle of the Edo Period, these fans were first made by lower ranking warriors of the Niwase Domain as side jobs. This fan invites cool refreshing wind just by its elegance.

 

On a personal note my family loves the nutty quality of Bizen. It is also said to be great for long-term freshness of flowers as the pottery 'breathes' in some way.

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