218. TANI Seiuemon IV 四代 谷清右衛門 , 1913-?, Shigaraki uzukumaru vase
Born in Shigaraki in 1913, Tani Seiuemon IV was a key person in the revival of Ko-Shigaraki and Ko-Iga styles with natural ash glaze effects. His works are exhibited in the British Museum and Cleveland Museum of Art. His son Tani Q currently operates the family kiln in Shigarakicho. To judge from pictures of other works by him available online, this piece is typical of his work.
Reddish brown clay with embedded feldspar pebbles, wood-fired with natural ash deposits, colors ranging from reds through browns to pinks; Weight: 1192 g (2.7 lb). Height: 14.5 cm (5-3/4 in). Widths: mouth 4.8 cm (1-7/8 in); lip 7 cm (2-3/4 in); neck 4.8 cm (1-7/8 in); shoulders (widest) 12.6 cm (5 in); base 10.2 cm (4 in).
This shape is known as the uzukumaru (蹲る) or “crouching” style of vase, apparently a reference to its squat shape. This sits on the flat base, which is a circular with pitted edges. The surface of the base was scored with a flat blade to create ridges and grooves. The artist’s mark, a cursive form of the character 清 was etched into the middle of the base. The walls immediately above the base bulge outward slightly as if the weight of the clay pressed the body outward before the clay dried. Above this the walls rise in a shallow convex arc to the neck. The widest point is at the shoulders 8.7 cm (3-1/2 in) above the base. From there the walls curve inward more rapidly to the neck, which lies 11.7 cm (4-5/8 in) above the vase. Above the neck the walls curve inward slightly and then outward in in a concave arc to meet the lip, which is a horizontal ring topped by a short vertical slanting slightly inward. The interior of the pot roughly mirrors the exterior. The surface of this is rough and pitted. Tani added the small feldspar pebbles common in Iga ware to portions of the exterior.
This was unglazed and wood-fired. Natural ash deposits cover much of the surface. Some of these vitrified, leaving a glassy surface.
The pot is heavily weighted toward the base, which is about 1.2 cm (1/2 in) thick.
Purchased from Treasures of Old Times in Bangkok, June 2023.
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