236. HASHIMOTO Tomonari, 1990- , “untitled,” truncated cone sculpture, 2023

236. HASHIMOTO Tomonari  橋本知成, 1990- , “untitled,” truncated cone sculpture, 2023

Hashimoto Tomonari was born in Wakayama Prefecture, the son of a sculptor. In 2012, he graduated from the Kyoto University of Education, where he majored in Fine Arts. He began studying ceramics in his junior year. He received a master’s degree from the Kanazawa University of Art in 2014, and a Ph.D, in 2017. After graduation he became an artist-in-residence at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, which allowed him to pursue his goal of creating larger works. He now lives in Shigaraki. He has participated in and been selected to be a part of numerous group exhibitions and competitions and has had several solo exhibitions. His works are part of the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LOEWE Foundation in Madrid, Korea Ceramics Foundation, and Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, as well as several hotels in Japan. 

He forms each piece through hand-building, shaping, and paddling. The piece is then bisque-fired and glazed. Using fire bricks, he builds a kiln around each object (or collection of smaller objects) and heats the kiln to around 1000-1100 degrees Celsius. He then dumps in millet or rice husks, which carbonize on the surface and in combination with the metals in the glaze create iridescent colors in random patterns. 

A statement from Hashimoto: "Everything is simple in essence. Humans, or the society we create, can complicate or obstruct our ability to see these essences. The process of creation is a time for me to discipline myself, to face my inner self. I believe it is paramount to allow oneself time to behold the essence of things and through that observation to face oneself."

White clay, with kiln-effect colors in the red, brown, and black ranges. Weight: 2.7 kg (6 lb). Height: 24.7 cm (9-3/4 in). Width: top, 18 cm (9-3/4 in); maximum, 26 cm (10-1/4 in), base, 4.8 cm (1-7/8 in). 

This is very symmetrical; any given cross-section would be a near-perfect circle. It is a truncated cone in shape, much like a traditional gemstone. It sits on a flat base. The base has a small hole in the center to allow air to escape during the firing process. From the base, the walls rise upward and outward in a straight line to the maximum width, which is 16.7 cm (6-5/8 in) above the base. From there the walls move upward and inward, again in a straight line, to the circular top. The exterior surface is covered with many small, irregular, shallow grooves and pits. They look almost as if bits of the surface had flaked off. 

The interaction of the glaze and the carbonization of plant materials left this colored black and a deep russet color. The base was left unglazed and was largely unaffected by the final firing process. 

This came in a box, inscribed in roman letters “UNTITLED” and “Tomonari,” followed by the artist’s seal stamped in red. Hashimoto does not give his works titles, and all the boxes I have seen are inscribed “untitled.”  Included in the box was a white wrapping cloth. 

Unfortunately, because of the narrowness of the base in contrast to the size and weight of the structure above it, this does not sit firmly on the base. It would be unwise to leave it where the even a slight jostling would tip it onto its side. 

Purchased from the Kara Monzen Gallery in Kyoto, Japan, in November 2023. The Gallery hosted a solo exhibition of Hashimoto’s works in November-December 2023. The Gallery included a copy of the exhibition booklet with the work. 

235. MURAKOSHI Takuma, 1954- , natural ash-glazed water container

235. MURAKOSHI Takuma  村越琢磨, 1954- ,  shizenyū mizusashi 自然釉水指 (natural ash-glazed water container for the tea ceremony)
 

For Murakoshi, see item 234. 

Light gray clay. Kiln effect colors in reds; natural ash glazing, with white, gray, and black colors. Weight 2.3 kg (5.2 lb). Height: overall, 16.4 cm (6-1/2 in); lid, 3.2 cm (1-1/4 in); bottom part, 15.7 cm (6-1/4 in). Width: lid, 9.2 cm (3-7/8 in); rim, 11 cm (4-3/8 in); neck, 11.3 cm (4-1/2 in); widest, 18.2 cm (7-1/4 in), base, 13.3 cm (5-1/4 in). 

This sits on the edges of the base, which is slightly concave. The artist’s sigil, a long line surmounted by a short stroke (rather like a "T" with a short bar and a long tail), with two shorter lines beside the other end of the long line, has been incised into the base. The base is otherwise randomly pitted. The sides of this appear to have been formed from long strips of clay wound around the circumference. (In a description of another piece, the seller explains that this was the process used to form a large vase.) On the exterior, the seams between the strips have been shaped to form prominent ridges. On the interior the seams have for the most part been smoothed over. The body of the bottom part is a highly irregular convex curve from the rim of the base to the neck. There are many bumps and bulges in this section, and the surface is very rough and pitted. The widest part of the body occurs about 5 cm (2 in) above the base. The neck is about 12.5 cm (5 in) above the base. Above the neck, the walls flare outward at about a 70-degree angle to the rim. The outer edge of the rim is roughly 1 cm (3/8 in) wide; it is a shallow concavity and rises upward at about a 30-degree angle. The mouth drops to a narrow gallery about 1.3 cm (1/2 inch) below the upper edge of the rim. The lid is a rough circle. The upper surface is concave, with a central pillar serving as a lifting point. The surface is grooved and bumpy. The underside of the lid is convex, mirroring the general shape of the top surface. There are remnants on the underside of the three posts used to separate the lid from the shelf during firing. When properly aligned, the lid fits within the mouth. 

This was fired unglazed. The colors derive from kiln effects and natural ash glazing. The base was largely unaffected by the firing and exhibits the natural color of the clay, with some reddish coloring and vitrification on one side. The side of the pot nearest the flames has a coating of vitrified natural ash glazing, mostly in gray, with some black spots. The opposite side shows red kiln effects, but less of the natural ash glazing. On this side, toward the base, the natural clay color shows through. The exterior surface is studded with the melted white dots from the ash glazing known as shiseki 歯石 in Japanese (it translates as “tartar”). The upper side of the lid has a thick coating of gray ash glazing; the underside shows the red kiln effect colors. With the exception of the lip of the mouth and the bottom, the interior exhibits mostly the natural clay color. The mouth has some reddening and vitrification; the bottom has some blackening from soot deposits.  

This came with a wooden box inscribed by Murakoshi. The calligraphy begins on the lid and continues down one side. The column on the right reads 自然釉  (shizenyū, “natural ash glazed”); the middle column, 水指し (mizusashi, “water container”); and on the left on the front panel たくま (Takuma). Included in the box were a brown wrapping cloth and small printed biography. The artist's seals (see item no 234 for description) were stamped on the top and side of the box.

Like all of Murakoshi’s pieces, this is highly irregular and individual. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto, October 2023. The Gallery hosted an exhibition of Murakoshi’s works in October-November 2023. (Invoice, customs and shipping documents)

 

234. MURAKOSHI Takuma , 1954- , “Ganbaruman,” ash-glazed Shigaraki-ware vase

234. MURAKOSHI Takuma  村越琢磨, 1954- , “Ganbaruman がんばるまん” (Stick-with-it-Man) ash-glazed Shigaraki-ware vase 

To quote Robert Mangold of the Kura Monzen Gallery: “Murakoshi Takuma is one of those enigmas who simply lives to work with clay. He does not seek to make a living through pottery, but through his primal approach has earned a following which keeps his work in high demand. He was born in Shinshiro-shi in Aichi Prefecture in 1954 and began his stroll down the pottery path in 1980 under the tutelage of Kyoto potter Umehara Takehira. Favoring very rough Shigaraki clay, he established his own kiln in 1997 in the Kiyomizu pottery district of Kyoto, then moved to Nagaoka in 2002. Although eschewing the world of competitive exhibitions, he has been picked up by many of Japan’s preeminent galleries, including private exhibitions at the prestigious Kuroda Toen of Tokyo’s Ginza District.  

In a printed leaflet accompanying this piece, Murakoshi characterizes his approach to pottery as “First, the clay; second, the fire; third, the technique.” He uses clay from Shigaraki mixed with natural ash and fires his pieces in high heat. 

The piece is part of a series of similarly shaped pots all entitled “Ganbaruman.” The “man” here is the English word, as in Superman. Ganbaru means “to persevere,” but it is often used colloquially to encourage others and is equivalent to “Keep at it,”or “Stick with it,” or “Don’t give up.” So, “Stick-with- it-Man.” I don’t know the number of this particular iteration; a posting to Murakoshi’s Instagram account (@takuma.murakoshi) dated September 3, 2020 pictures no. 10 in the series. A posting dated to December 2019 shows nos 5 and 6. So he has been making these for a few years. The 2020 posting also refers to that pot as being part of the Jidai ni gyakkō shirizu 時代に逆行シリズ, or “Running counter to the times series.” This means something similar to Huysman’s À rebours and gets at the mindset behind the shaping of the pot. 

Gray clay, with natural ash glazing and kiln colors in the reddish-pink, brown, gray, and black ranges, with natural ash glazing across most of the surface. The only unaffected sections are the bases of the feet on which this sits. The ash melt and glazing are heavy, even on the interior. There is a pool of vitrified, dark green, glass-like glaze on the bottom of the interior. On the exterior similar accretions of bidoro glazing are found in the many grooves on the piece. Beads of this glaze are present on the underside of the body. 

Weight: 4.2 kg (9.4 lb). Height: 22.8 cm (9 in). Width (maximum): 24 x 16.5 cm (9-1/2 x 6-1/4 in). 

Any attempt to pin this piece down to exact measurements will fail. This sits on four flat tires positioned near the ends of an oval base. The base sags downward toward the center of the piece, as if the feet and base were being crushed by the weight of the body. The body is a rough oval in cross-section, moving inward to the narrowest point at the neck. Above the neck the walls flare outward toward the rim, again a rough oval 10.2 x 9 cm (4 x 3/12 in). The two handles, or Ganbaruman’s arms bow outward in a convex arc from the shoulders to the base (Ganbaruman’s hips). This is a caricature of the human body. Mangold describes it as “A frumpy vase in ash glaze, settled down on its haunches like some tough guy, hands on hips.” The surface is rough and pitted. 

Unglazed before firing, with kiln colors and natural ash glazing. 

This came in a wooden box inscribed by Murakoshi in his distinctive calligraphy. As is his wont, the inscription begins on top of the box and continues down one side. The inscription is written in hiragana and reads: がんばるまん (ganbaruman) and たくま (Takuma). The top is stamped in red with a seal with Murakoshi’s studio name: へうげも屋  (Hyōgemono-ya, “Jocular Fellow Studio”; interestingly he uses the kyūkanazukai, or old kana usage, to write hyō. Hyōgemono is also the name of a popular nanga character. On the side of the box is another seal stamped in red, giving Takuma in characters, 琢磨. Included in the box were a brown wrapping cloth and a printed leaflet from Murakoshi. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto, October 2023. The Gallery hosted an exhibition of Murakoshi’s works in October 2023. 

233. FURUTANI Kazuya, 1976- , faceted Iga-ware vase

233. FURUTANI Kazuya  古谷和也, 1976- ,  伊賀面取花入 Iga mentoru hanaire (faceted Iga-ware vase)

Furutani Kazuya is the eldest son of the late Shigaraki and Iga master Furutani Michio 古谷道生 (1946-2000). After completing his education at the Yamaguchi College of Art in 1997, he dedicated a year to ceramics research in Kyoto. Upon his return, he immersed himself in his father's workshop in Shigaraki. After his father’s death, Furutani Kazuya became head of the family. Since then, he has constructed three anagama kilns. He has been invited to exhibit at prestigious events like the National Ceramics Exhibitions and had solo shows at places like the Tōen Gallery in Tokyo. He works in both the Shigaraki and the Iga traditions. 

Light gray clay, with some feldspar pebble inclusions; unglazed, with kiln-effect colors in the black, gray, and red ranges and some vitrified natural ash glazing. Weight: 2.9 kg (6.5 lb). Height: 30.5 cm (12 in). Width: of mouth, 3.2 cm (1-1/4 in); of lip, 6.7 cm (2-5/8 in); maximum, 10.2 cm (4-1/8 in). 

This was shaped using the mentoru technique (see item no. 232). It sits on a flat circular area inside the base; the center of this area was slightly and irregularly hollowed out. This is not quite a foot ring, since there are no exterior walls. Outside the ring, the base has been beveled slightly upward and the clay pushed out to protrude in an irregular line on all sides beyond the walls above it. The protrusion varies in width but is no more than a centimeter (3/8 in) wide at most. Measurement of the interior of the vase shows that the base is about two centimeters (3/4 in) thick. The walls have been roughly shaped into six vertical facets, with varying widths, and some horizontal shelves on the front side (arbitrarily, the side with the heaviest ash deposits). The artist’s mark was incised across two of the facets on the back side near the base; the mark is larger than is common for such marks. The walls are thick—about 1.2 cm (1/2 in). The widest part of the vase is 12.5 cm (5 in) above the base; the walls narrow both above and below this. The lip of the vase is lower toward the front of the vase.  The surface is rough and pitted. 

This was made from Iga clay, with some addition of feldspar pebbles, as is typical of Iga-ware. It was unglazed but acquired some natural ash glazing across the upper half of the front side and the top couple centimeters of the interior. The firing created kiln-effect colors in the black and gray range across the front and in the gray and red ranges on the back. The interior shows some red coloration. 

This came in a box with a stamped orange wrapping cloth and a potted biography. Unfortunately the box was damaged in shipping. I have glued it back together and reinforced it. The top of the box was inscribed by Furutani in three lines, from right to left: 伊賀 Iga /  面取花入 mentoru hanaire (Iga-ware faceted vase) / 和也  Kazuya; followed by the artist’s seal in red, an irregular blob with the character 和 Kazu. 

Purchased from Treasures of Old Times, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2023.

232. FURUTANI Hiromu, 1922­-2012, Shigaraki-ware water container for the tea ceremony

 232. FURUTANI Hiromu 古谷弘, Chūroku 忠六 I, 1922­-2012, Shigaraki shizenyū mentoru mizusashi 信楽自然釉面取水指  (Shigaraki-ware natural ash-glazed, faceted water container for the tea ceremony)

As evident in this piece, Furutani Hiromu was fascinated by the possibilities of koge 焦 (charring), hi-iro 火色  (flame color), and other kiln effects of Shigaraki-ware. He devoted himself to the recovery of pre-Edo firing techniques. He was on the forefront of research into ancient kiln construction and re-created both an anagama and a noborigama (climbing kiln). He was the first artist named a Dentō Kōgeishi (traditional craftsman) in Shigaraki, accepting that honor in 1976. After that his works were exhibited throughout Japan, as well as internationally. Breaking from tradition however, he also worked to create carved and modeled pieces with animated creatures writhing across the surfaces or arching to form handles. Furutani Hiromu was the father of Furutani Hirofumi 博文 (Chūroku  忠六 II) and grandfather of Furutani Taketoshi (see items nos. 218 and 224), all potters in the Shigaraki tradition. 

Light gray clay, unglazed before firing, with kiln effects in the gray and red ranges. Weight: 3.45 kg (7.7 lb). Height: overall, 22 cm (8-3/4 in); lid, 4.2 cm (1-5/8 in); bottom section, 19.3 cm (7-5/8 in). Width: lid, 11.7 cm (4-5/8 in); mouth, 16.8 cm (4-1/4 in), rim, 14.5 cm (5-3/4 in), base (maximum), 18.4 cm (7-1/4 in). 

This sits on the flat base. Remnants of the wads used during the firing to separate the piece from the kiln shelf are evident on the bottom. The characters 忠六 in a cursive script were incised into the base. The white sticker with the number 58 is from the exhibition of the works of the three Furutani generations at the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto in 2023. Measurement of the depth of the interior reveals that the base is 2 cm (3/4 in) thick. The edges of the base follow the contours of the faceted walls. 

The walls were shaped by the mentoru process up to a height of 14.5 cm (5-3/4 in), where a narrow ridge of clay, hereafter the “collar,” circles the piece. Mentoru is usually translated “faceted,” but the English word seems too adjectival to me. The Japanese word is a verbal compound and implies a process of forming a face by removing or taking something away. This section has eight facets extending from the collar down to the base formed by slicing away the clay. Each section is slightly concave toward the center. The borders between the facets are sharp, bumpy ridges. The bottom of each facet between these vertical borders has been curved upward to form a curved indent, creating a series of scallops between sharp points beneath the ridges. Each facet has a series of closely spaced, shallow vertical grooves running from the collar to the scallops, perhaps made by a metal comb. The scallops were formed after these grooves were made and cover the grooves near the base. The grooves are most apparent on the side with almost no ash deposits (arbitrarily, the “back side”). The heavy ash deposits on the front side mostly obscures the grooves. Furutani dug deeper and larger grooves in an “M” pattern across the front facets. 

There are two “handles” vertically centered on the collar, on opposite sides of the piece, roughly between the front and back sides. The handles are more bumps with which one can grasp the piece rather than handles proper. They are rough wads of clay. The one on the left appears to have been damaged after the firing; it is hollow and the rough unglazed clay is exposed.

Above the collar, there is an indented section, and above this a section with horizontal grooves and rings that juts out a bit. Each of these sections occupies roughly half of the space between the collar and the rim. The lip has groove running around the circumference. The gallery on which the lid sits is recessed about 1.3 cm (1/2 in) below the lip. 

The lid has a central knob, which appears to have been shaped from a flattish piece of clay formed into a rough, open cylinder, with the top edges folded inward around an irregular opening. The top side of the lid is fairly flat, with concentric circular grooves radiating from the center. The underside of the lid is slightly convex toward the center. The lid doesn’t sit very securely on the gallery. 

The interior of the piece is an irregular cylinder, with some finger marks from the shaping. 

The surface of the piece is very rough and broken. 

What is visible of the clay body reveals that Furutani used a fine-grained clay for this. This was unglazed before firing. The front side and the top side of the lid acquired a thick layer of ash during the firing, resulting in a heavy deposit of vitrified gray glaze with some green bidoro on the grooves of the lid, the underside of the lid near the edges, and the bottom edges of the M across the front. The other side of the body became a coral red as a result of the firing; the back side also has droplets of vitrified glaze in a cream color strewn randomly over the surface. Some portions of the base and the underside of the lid and most of the interior show the unaltered clay; the interior exhibits some pink coloring on the walls and some natural ash glazing on the bottom.

This came in a wooden box, with an orange wrapping cloth and a potted biography of the artist. The lid of the box was inscribed by Furutani Taketoshi, in four lines, from right to left: 信楽 Shigaraki  /  自然釉  shizenyū (natural ash glaze) /  面取水指 mentoru mizusashi (faceted water container) / 初代 shodai (first generation) 忠六  Chūroku, followed by the artist’s seal in red (again reading 忠六  Chūroku).  The seller also included a copy of the exhibition booklet.

The results imply that Furutani sited this piece very carefully in the kiln so that the kiln effects resulted in well-delineated front and back sides.

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery, Kyoto, Japan, September 2023. (Invoice, shipping and customs documents)

231. WATANABE Takuma, 1968- , Bizen-ware incense burner

231. WATANABE Takuma 渡邊琢磨, 1968- , Bizen-ware kōro  備前香炉  (incense burner), “Mirai no kaseki” ミライノカセキ (Future fossils) series, no. 109

Watanabe was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1968. After graduating from Kansai University, Watanabe apprenticed himself to Bizen-ware artist Yamauchi Atsuyoshi in 1991. In 1996, he joined the Bizen Tōen Kiln. Shortly thereafter, he began exhibiting and received awards at the Okayama Prefectural Exhibition, the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, and the Issui Kai Exhibition (the Issui Kai is a modern artists' association). He was also selected for the influential Tanabe Museum Modern Forms in Tea Exhibition. In 2006, he became independent and established his own kiln. He has also built a small kiln for reduction firing. After shaping a piece on the pottery wheel, he often hand-finishes it by carving, inlaying, and hand-building. The Future Fossils Series now contains over 400 pieces. For more of his work, see his Instagram account #takuma.watanabe.clayworks  He is also on Facebook: facebook.com/bizen.watanabe. 

His statement of purpose (my translation): “By blending Japanese tradition and modern sensibilities. I create ‘objects with ideas’ to satisfy the heart. In this way, my slight products are meant to be ‘tools for stimulating the imagination’ that provoke feelings in the user.” 

Dark brown clay, unglazed Bizen-ware, with kiln effects in reddish-brown and grays hades; some slight vitrification of the ash deposits on the underside of the lid. Weight: overall, 860 g (1.9 lb); bottom section, 638 g (22.8 oz; 1.4 lb); lid, 222 g (7.9 oz). Height: overall: 16.7 cm (6-5/8 in); bottom section, 13.2 cm (5-1/4 in); lid, 5 cm (1-15/16 in). Width: of base of bottom section (also, the maximum width), 12.6 cm (5 in). 

This sits on the bases of three truncated, trapezoidal legs attached about 2 cm (3/4 in) from the circumference of the underside of the base section of the bottom part. Each leg is 2 cm (3/4 in) high. The underside of the base is flat. The artist’s mark, |+<, was incised into the center of the underside. The proper orientation of the mark isn’t clear, but it appears from the similar mark on item 252 that it was incised with downward strokes in the orientation shown here. The edges of the base are 1 cm (3/8 in) wide. The top side of the base is a gentle convex arc up to the walls of the bottom section. Eight small round holes are spaced evenly around this section of the piece. The base ends 3.2 cm (1-1/4 in) up. The walls proper begin at this point. The walls are 10 cm (4 in) tall. At the lower end the diameter of the walls is 8.8 cm (3-1/2 in); at the top it is 8.5 cm (3-3/8 in). So the walls slope inward very gradually. On the outside of the walls, Watanabe attached a variety of molded forms resembling electrical switches and conduits, Phillips-head screws, dials, and plates. One horizontal plate is incised with a stamped “W 109”—perhaps “W” for “Watanabe” and 109 for this piece’s place in the Future Fossils series. There are also two short, braided handles on the lower part of the walls. A curved arrow around one of the dials indicates the direction in which it would turn. Another short vertical arrow indicates which direction is up. There is a circular opening into the interior near the top of this section. The interior of this section is unadorned but shows the finger marks from the throwing process. 

The circular lid consists of a straight-sided flange 1.1 cm (7/16 in) high and 7 cm (2-3/4 in) wide that fits inside the bottom section of the piece. The underside of the base of the lid proper is flat. It is 10 cm (4 in) wide and extends beyond the top of the bottom section. The top of the base of the lid is also flat. To this have been attached several molded forms. Three of these are circular “smokestacks”; with holes opening into the interior of the bottom section to allow the incense smoke to rise and escape. The other attachments are more mechanical in shape and attached with “screws.” There is another braided handle on the top. 

The surface decorations are very precise and even and attached to the body in such a way that the joins are crisp and exact. Given the colors, from a distance, this could be mistaken for an old metallic object, perhaps part of some machine, which has become encrusted with dirt and rusted over time. The surface has the roughness of medium-grade sandpaper. In contrast to the Kishimoto vase (item 230), which defiantly foregrounds its origins in clay, this piece belies its origins. 

Unglazed, colors from kiln effects and gray ash deposits on the exterior. The mouth and the interior of the bottom section show little evidence of exposure to the ash flow, in contrast to the legs and the underside of the base, which are a dull gray. So the bottom section may have been turned upside down during the firing process, thus shielding the interior from the ash flow. 

This came in a wooden box, inscribed in three lines (from right to left);  備前香爐 (Bizen kōro [using the older form of the character for ro], “Bizen-ware incense burner”); ミライノカセキ (mirai no kaseki, “future fossil”): 琢磨 (Takuma), followed by the artist’s seal with his given name in the seal script forms of characters, stamped in red.  Included in the box were a blue cloth and a short printed biography of the artist. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery, Kyoto, Japan, September 2023 (invoice, shipping and customs documents)