111. HANZAWA Hiroshi, small square Oribe plate

111. HANZAWA Hiroshi, small square Oribe plate

For Hanzawa, see item 110.

Tan clay, green and white glazes; bottom left unglazed. Weight: 228 g (8 oz). Dimension: 15.2 cm (6 in) square; base: 6.3 cm (2-1/2 in) square. Height: 2 cm (3/4 in).

The piece is irregular, and the measurements are approximate. This was formed from a squarish piece of clay roughly 16 cm (6-1/4 in) on a side and about an eighth of an inch thick. It sits on a flat base that is roughly a square. The artist’s mark was incised into the underside of the piece. The remains of the posts used to separate pieces in the kiln during firing are visible on the underside. From the base the walls rise in a low irregular convex arc to the rim. Despite the irregular shape, the plate sits solidly on the base.

With the exception of the base, the exterior surface and the area of the interior surface covered with the green glaze were coated with a rough textured slip. A four-sided area in the center of the top side was created by incising four lines into the surface. This area was coated with a cream glaze, and green glaze was dribbled over the surface to form dots and lines. The rest of the upper side was coated with the copper-heavy green glaze characteristic of Oribe-ware. Because of the rough slip, this resulted in darker areas where the glaze pooled and lighter areas where it pulled away from the texturing.  Except for a few splashes of green, the bottom was left unglazed.

Purchased from the artist, May 2021.

 

110. HANZAWA Hiroshi, plum-blossom-shaped Oribe bowl

110. HANZAWA Hiroshi, plum-blossom-shaped Oribe bowl

Hanzawa has been active as a potter since 2000. He lives in Tajimi, a center for pottery in the Seto tradition, in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. One of his specialties is pottery in the Oribe tradition. His works are available on Etsy at HiroshiPottery.

White clay, green glaze; base left unglazed. Weight: 138 g (5 oz). Rim diameter: 11 cm (4-3/8 in). Ring foot diameter 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in). Height: 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in).

The foot is ring 1 cm (3/8 in) tall on the outside and about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) deep on the interior. The artist’s mark was incised into the base. The walls rise to the rim in a convex arc. The rim has been shaped into a five-lobed plum-blossom shape. Between the lobes the walls are grooved on the exterior and protrude inward on the interior. The center of each lobe is bowed outward and curves inward to the two surrounding grooves. The walls are circular just above the base, and the outward bow becomes more prominently the higher up the wall you move.

The exterior of this appears to have been covered with a rough-textured slip. When the glaze was applied, it pulled away from the higher points on the surface, creating a mottled pattern of dark green mixed with whiter areas where the clay shows through. In a few places on the exterior, the glaze was allowed to run down into the tear shapes characteristic of Oribe. The bottom of the exterior walls and the ring foot were left unglazed. The finish is rough to the touch.

Purchased from the artist, May 2021.

 

109. Pair of Oribe gourd-shaped footed serving dishes

109. Pair of Oribe gourd-shaped footed serving dishes

Larger (on left in pictures).  Gray clay, green and brown glazes; most of base left unglazed. Weight: 352 g (12.5 oz). Dimensions of rim:  15.7 x 13.3 cm (6-1/4 x 5-1/4 in). Height (overall): 4.7 cm (1-7/8 in), height of walls: 4.2 cm (1-5/8 in).

Smaller  (on right in pictures).  Yellow clay, green and brown glazes; most of base left unglazed. Weight: 348 g (12.5 oz). Dimensions of rim: 15.7 x 12.6 cm (6-1/4 x 5 in). Height (overall): 4.2 cm (1-5/8 in); height of walls: 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in).

The same potter made these, but there are differences in the color of the clay, the size, and the decoration. Both sit on three feet made of small rolls of clay that were pressed into the base and positioned at the top of the gourd and at the two widest points along the sides (if the top is 12:00 o’clock, the other two are at 4:30 and 7:30). The surface of the base was marked by several passes of the bamboo spatula, leaving lines running from top to bottom. The artist’s mark, a bottle gourd (Japanese: hyōtan) with the “seal” forms of characters inside, was stamped into the center of the base (see the last photo). Unfortunately the impression is too light to read, and I have been unable to identify the potter. On both, the edges of the base where it meets the walls was cut away to make a beveled edge. The walls rise more or less vertically to the rim. The body of each is shaped like a bottle gourd. The interior bottoms are strongly marked with the weave of the cloth (cheesecloth?) used when pressing the clay.

The two ends of each piece were dipped in the thick green glaze characteristic of Oribe-ware. These green areas delineate the picture fields on the interiors and the exterior side walls. A brown slip was used to draw the decorations. That on the smaller piece appears more reddish, but that may be the color of the clay showing through. On each side two sets of brown lines of varying heights, with the longer lines on the left, were drawn. The rims are also coated with this brown glaze. A brown line parallel to the rim was drawn on the inside walls around the circumference. On the interior bottom of each piece are two chrysanthemums and a series of crisscrossing lines representing a fence. The green glaze was added after the decorations were drawn. The green glaze was also allowed to drip down the sides in the characteristic tear-drop shapes. The basic color of the clay serves as the background on both pieces, gray in the case of the larger one, yellow on the smaller one. The external walls of the pieces, including the beveled areas, and the areas on the base with the feet were coated with a clear or luster glaze.

The bottle gourd has strong cultural resonances in Japan. Playful versions of serving dishes are common in Oribe-ware. The seller couldn’t supply any information about these, but they are recent pieces. The differences are curious.  For more on Oribe-ware and other examples, see below.

Purchased from BkkPickerBkk in Bangkok, Thailand, May 2021.

108. Mitch Yung, narrow-mouthed soda-fired pot

108. Mitch Yung, narrow-mouthed soda-fired pot

White clay, dun glaze; base left unglazed. Weight: 720 g (1.6 lb). Rim diameter: 2.3 cm (7/8 in); maximum diameter: 12.8 cm (5-1/8 in); base diameter: 7.5 cm (3 in). Height: 13.8 cm (5-1/2 in).

Yung is a potter and ceramic artist in Hollister, Missouri. Besides pots, he creates ceramic sculptures. For more on him and other examples of his work, see his website, www.mitchyung.com, or his Instagram page, mitchyungceramics.

This sits directly on the flat base. The artist's mark, a "Y," was stamped into the base. From the base the walls rise outward in a shallow convex arc (almost a straight line) to the maximum diameter, which is 7.5 cm (3 in) above the base. From there the walls curve briefly upward before rising at an angle in a straight line to the bottom of neck, which is 2.3 cm (7/8 in) in diameter and sits 11.7 cm (4-5/8 in) above the base. The neck swells out before curving in toward the rim.

The main colors are dun and red. The gray color apparently resulted from carbon trapping during the firing. Both red and the dun show through this to varying degrees, creating many different shades and spots of color. The base was left unglazed. The surface sheen is due to the soda-firing.

Purchased from the artist, May 2021.

 

Feet of Clay Pottery

Feet of Clay Pottery

Many of the pots described here were purchased at Feet of Clay Pottery in Brookline, Massachusetts. Feet of Clay is an artists’ cooperative that provides equipment, supplies, and workspace for its members. It holds special seminars for its members as well as classes for beginning students. Twice a year, in April/May and December, it hosts sales of members’ and students’ work. For more information, see www.feetofclaypottery.com.