212. MORI Tōgaku, 1937- , Bizen-ware “turnip” vase

212. MORI Tōgaku 森陶岳 (1937-  ), Bizen-ware “turnip” vase, 1980

Mori Tōgaku is the eldest son of Mori Hidetsugu and a member of one of the traditional six Bizen kiln families. He is known for resurrecting traditional-style kilns and for building gigantic kilns. This was fired in the first firing of one such kiln completed in the late 1970s. The firing began on January 8, 1980, and continued until March 2, 1980. The kiln was opened on April 3 and the process of removing the pots began.  For an informative article on Mori and his works, see http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/mori-togaku-kilns.html. 

Red Bizen clay, unglazed, with ash deposits on one side and flowing across the shoulders of the pot to the other side; colors range from a creamy brown to red. Weight: 1330 g (3 lb). Height: 18 cm (7-1/8 in). Width: rim, 7 cm (2-3/4 in); neck, 5 cm (2 in); maximum, 12.5 cm (5 in); base, 9.5 cm (3.3/4 in). 

This is roughly symmetrical. It sits on the flat base. The body is convex, rising upward and outward from the base to reach the maximum diameter at 8 cm (3-1/8 in), above the base and roughly in the middle of the main part of the body. The walls then curve inward to the neck, which is 12.5 cm (5 in) above the base. Above the neck, the walls slope outward in a straight line to 1 cm (3/8 in) below the rim. At this point the walls jut outward at an acute angle to form a vertical collar around the rim. The surface of the pot is pitted.  The artist’s seals, a stylized plum flower and a cross within two lines, were impressed respectively into the base and the wall just above the base. The body is randomly scored with short, straight lines. 

The part of the pot facing the ash flow (here considered the front of the pot) received a heavy coating of molten ash, which gave it a matte brown finish. As the flames flowed around the shoulders of the pot to the opposite side, they colored the clay a dark reddish brown. The back side was largely unaffected by flames or ash. 

This came in a box. Included in the box was a potted biography of Mori. The top has the kana for kabu followed by a character I cannot read. Kabu is Japanese for “turnip,” an apparent reference to the shape of the vase. The underside of the cover bears the artist’s given name, Tōgaku 陶岳, in cursive script along with the artist’s seal in red. 

Purchased from Treasures of Old Times in Bangkok, April 2023.