200. HAMADA Junri, 1948-2022, black Oribe guinomi

200. HAMADA Junri  浜田純理, 1948-2022, black Oribe guinomi

 

Hamada’s studio name is Rojin  露人.  In 1981, he opened the Chuma-gama kiln in Tsururi, Gifu prefecture. He produced mainly tableware in the Kiseto and Oribe styles of Mino pottery.

Reddish-brown clay. Glazed in white and black, with dark red colors showing through on the unglazed spots. Weight: 136 g (5 oz). Height: 5.3 cm (2-1/8 in). Diameter of rim: 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in); of foot ring, 4.4 cm (1-3/4 in); maximum: 6.4 cm (2-1/2 in); minimum: 5.2 cm (2 in). Capacity: 80 ml (3 fl oz).

This sits on the roughly circular foot ring. The foot ring is 0.6 cm (1/4 in) high on the outside. The inside has been hollowed; the hollow is deepest just inside the ring, with a gentle mound toward the center. Above the foot ring, the walls move outward and upward at a shallow obtuse angle (110 degrees) in a straight line to a height of 1.3 cm (1/2 in) to reach the maximum width of the cup. Above this they move inward in a shallow arc to the minimum width 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in) above the base. Above this waist the walls continue upward in another shallow arc to the rim.  The exterior is ringed by shallow horizontal grooves and has many dents and bumps. The surface is fairly smooth. The interior walls do not mirror the exterior shape. They are fairly vertical, and there is a shallow bowl at the bottom. The interior walls are very smooth.

Wood-fired, using white and black Oribe glazes, with a fine luster all over from the ash glazing.

This came with a box. Inscribed on the lid in two columns in the upper right-hand corner are  黒織部 (black Oribe) and ぐい呑  (guinomi). In the lower right-hand corner, written over the artist’s red seal are the characters 露人 (Rojin, the artist’s studio name). The box includes an orange cloth and a short printed biography.

Judging from the online pictures of Hamada’s works, his output was typical of many working Japanese potters. The biography given above was taken from an online listing of Japanese potters; I’m guessing that “tableware” is a translation of the Japanese utsuwa, a catchall term for dishes and cooking vessels as well as other items used in preparing and eating food. Like most Japanese tableware meant for daily use, this fits well in the hand.

Purchased from Art on the Table, a company in Seattle specializing in Japanese products, in November 2022.