Nature, Tradition & Innovation:
Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Gordon Brodfueher Collection
January 28 through April 23, 2017
Ceramics in Japanese Culture
In the West, ceramics have been considered a minor, “decorative” art form, eclipsed for centuries by the “fine” arts of painting and sculpture, and even in China, where porcelain has been collected by Emperors for centuries, stoneware vessels had little cultural or financial value. However, stoneware ceramics occupy a uniquely esteemed position in Japan, where rulers, tea masters, and connoisseurs have long treasured rustic-looking tea bowls, tea caddies, and flower vases, with their naturally occurring glazes and imperfect forms. As early as the 16th century, these simple pots and bowls baffled visiting Portuguese Jesuit missionaries, who remarked that they were “prized beyond belief” and described them as “the jewels of Japan.”
This admiration for rugged-looking stonewares derives in part from the Japanese deep-rooted love of nature and reverence for the kami or higher beings that inhabit it. For centuries, Japan’s potters have used the natural elements of earth, water and fire to create vessels that evoke nature, such as the moss coating a stone statue of a Buddha, the stain on an ancient rock, or the bark of a majestic cryptomeria tree. Many of their forms and glazed finishes harmonize with these natural tones and textures, effects that are credited to the kami themselves during the firing of the kiln. These tones and textures resonated well with Zen Buddhist ideals of austerity, simplicity and humility, particularly within the context of the tea ceremony from the 15th cen- tury onwards. The concept of wabi, an aesthetic of cultivated rusticity, also affected the taste for the simple, rugged and imperfect.
Nature in Japanese Ceramics
For centuries, the Japanese have lived close to nature, both physically and spiritually. About 70% of the Japanese archipelago is mountainous, it is lush with greenery and volcanic activity is regular, so its people are sensitive to nature and its movements. According to the native belief system, Shinto (the “Way of the Kami”), higher beings called kami reside in ancient trees, strange-looking rocks or majestic mountains. To guarantee peace and abundant harvests, the Japanese honor these kami and their natural environments; failure to do so may cause earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, fires, and ruined crops. Since their work depends intimately on the five elements of nature – wood, fire, water, earth, and air, Japan’s potters have long respected nature and its power, making offerings to the kami of the kiln before every firing and often crediting outstanding glaze effects to the will of the kami rather than skill.
Flowers, plants and trees of the four seasons feature prominently in Japan’s litera- ture and art, and ceramic vessels have long been adorned with cherry blossoms, rep- resenting spring and the transience of life, or pine trees symbolizing winter and re- silience. Even ceramic forms can vary with the season. Tea bowls with thick, vertical walls are more appropriate for winter since they keep the tea warm, while shallow, al- most flat tea bowls let the tea cool quickly in the summer. As this exhibition demonstrates, potters often pay homage to the power and beauty of nature by creating vessels with glazes reminiscent of tree bark, bamboo stalks, or dramatically crashing waves. Taijiro Ito’s photographs included in this exhibition demonstrate beautifully the connection between their ceramics and nature.
Tradition in Japanese Ceramics
As with many of Japan’s arts, the realm of ceramics is bound strongly by tradition. Cer- tain regions of Japan have plentiful supplies of clay, water and trees suitable for the pro- duction of stoneware ceramics, and centuries ago, communities of potters established kilns in these areas and produced utilitarian storage jars, food dishes and sake bottles, and from the 16th century onwards, tea bowls, caddies, water jars and other tea cere- mony wares. Each kiln evolved specific styles. Shigaraki, near Kyoto is known for rough utilitarian wares textured by feldspar specks in the glaze, while Bizen wares from Okaya- ma have smooth, unglazed surfaces often exquisitely patterned by burn marks from the firing. From Mino near Nagoya, Shino wares with their thick, creamy glazes and the play- ful Oribe wares with a copper green glaze paired with underglazed iron painted designs were born from tea culture and their popularity spread far beyond.
The potters of these communities handed down their skills and secrets to their eldest sons, and generation after generation have continued to produce wares of the same style, rarely changing the style or forms produced or signing their works. Some of the artists in this exhibition are from lineages that go back over 10 generations, or 300 years. In the early 20th century, Japan’s Mingei, or Folk Art movement hailed the contribution of the nation’s unknown potters, and today, even though many artists working at these kilns produce traditional wares, they are increasingly signing their work and receiving recog- nition as individual artists.
Innovation in Japanese Ceramics
From the late 19th century, when Japan opened its ports to world trade, Japanese artists in all media began to feel the influence of Western art. In ceramics, changes happened relatively slowly. During the Folk Art movement of the early 20th century, foreign pot- ters, most notably Bernard Leach (1887-1979), worked at Japanese kilns and introduced innovations, like handles on teacups, to local potters. From around the mid-20th century, some Japanese potters started to travel overseas to study ceramic techniques in Europe and the United States, while others learned their craft at art school rather than as part of a family tradition. Kazhuiko Miwa, an 11th generation Hagi potter learned traditional Hagi pottery from his father, Living National Treasure, Kyusetsu Miwa, but also studied at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1975-1981 and was strongly influenced by American ce- ramic artist Peter Voulkos (1924-2002).
Many of the objects in this exhibition are somewhat traditional in form and style but there are a number of pieces that are strikingly contemporary. Geometric forms with sharp edges and lines characterize Yohei Konishi’s Spiral Tokoname-ware Tsubo vase and Keii- chi Shimizu’s slab-built Tamba-ware Vases and Footed Tray. Both artists have blended traditional clay and glazes to createfunctional vessels with very contemporary forms. Hosei Udagawa departed even further. He continued to use the clay and glaze of his native Hagi, but created in works such as his piece Tenzan, or Heavenly Mountain in this ex- hibition, he crossed into the realm of pure sculpture.
Ceramics in Japanese Tea Ceramony
Powdered green tea, or matcha, first arrived in Japan in the late 12th century when Japa- nese monks, who studied meditational Buddhism (Japanese: Zen) in China, brought both Zen and tea drinking as a meditational aid back to Japan. Tea drinking soon spread into the residences of samurai warlords who embraced Zen Buddhism, Chinese painting, and all things Chinese. In the 14th century, military leaders appointed connoisseurs to cata- logue their Chinese artifacts and display them while entertaining guests with tea – in an early form of the tea ceremony, or chanoyu. Later, several tea masters including Sen no Rikyu (1521-1591) developed the practice further in to a spiritual pursuit, emphasizing the appreciation of nature, the aesthetics of simplicity, humility and austerity and the use of native ceramics. Their philosophy profoundly influenced both the world of tea and of ce- ramics in Japan.
Many ceramic objects are used in the tea ceremony, from the flower vases, or hana-ire, placed in the tokonoma alcove to the tiny tea caddy, or cha-ire, that contains the pow- dered tea and the lidded water jar, or mizusashi, that holds the fresh water. Most import- ant of all is the tea bowl, or chawan, in which the host whisks up and serves the tea and from which the guest receives it. Each of these vessels is created by the potter with a particular aesthetic sensibility in mind and is selected by the host with the intention of creating a tea ceremony that is perfectly suited to the occasion, season, mood, and guest.
Sake in Japanese Ceramics
Sake, an alcoholic drink made from rice, is considered by many to be Japan’s national drink. It has been drunk in Japan for over 2,000 years and has played a significant role in many of the country’s religious and secular customs. Since the beginning of its history, the wine has been associated with Japan’s indigenous gods, and has been drunk at ceremonies and festivals as a means of bringing people closer to the gods. It has also been consumed at weddings, reunions, cherry blossom viewing parties, and other festive social occasions in order to bring people closer to each other.
Sake can be served chilled, heated or at room temperature, depending on the drinker, the quality of the brew and the season. Over the centuries, a rich assortment of sake vessels (Japanese: shuki) have been crafted out of clay, wood, lacquer, and metal for the pur- pose of storing, heating, serving and drinking sake. The drink is traditionally served from a flask called tokkuri, usually a bulbous form with a narrow neck, and poured into small cups called guinomi or choko. The reason for the petite size is twofold: first, smaller cups compel the drinker to sip the sake slowly and savor the taste; second, as it is customary to serve sake to one another, smaller sizes allow people to pour sake several times for each other throughout an event. Sake can also be sipped from saucer-like cups called sakazuki, often used at weddings, or box forms called masu, originally used for measuring rice and often used at restaurants.
In the West, ceramics have been considered a minor, “decorative” art form, eclipsed for centuries by the “fine” arts of painting and sculpture, and even in China, where porcelain has been collected by Emperors for centuries, stoneware vessels had little cultural or financial value. However, stoneware ceramics occupy a uniquely esteemed position in Japan, where rulers, tea masters, and connoisseurs have long treasured rustic-looking tea bowls, tea caddies, and flower vases, with their naturally occurring glazes and imperfect forms. As early as the 16th century, these simple pots and bowls baffled visiting Portuguese Jesuit missionaries, who remarked that they were “prized beyond belief” and described them as “the jewels of Japan.”
This admiration for rugged-looking stonewares derives in part from the Japanese deep-rooted love of nature and reverence for the kami or higher beings that inhabit it. For centuries, Japan’s potters have used the natural elements of earth, water and fire to create vessels that evoke nature, such as the moss coating a stone statue of a Buddha, the stain on an ancient rock, or the bark of a majestic cryptomeria tree. Many of their forms and glazed finishes harmonize with these natural tones and textures, effects that are credited to the kami themselves during the firing of the kiln. These tones and textures resonated well with Zen Buddhist ideals of austerity, simplicity and humility, particularly within the context of the tea ceremony from the 15th cen- tury onwards. The concept of wabi, an aesthetic of cultivated rusticity, also affected the taste for the simple, rugged and imperfect.
Nature in Japanese Ceramics
For centuries, the Japanese have lived close to nature, both physically and spiritually. About 70% of the Japanese archipelago is mountainous, it is lush with greenery and volcanic activity is regular, so its people are sensitive to nature and its movements. According to the native belief system, Shinto (the “Way of the Kami”), higher beings called kami reside in ancient trees, strange-looking rocks or majestic mountains. To guarantee peace and abundant harvests, the Japanese honor these kami and their natural environments; failure to do so may cause earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, fires, and ruined crops. Since their work depends intimately on the five elements of nature – wood, fire, water, earth, and air, Japan’s potters have long respected nature and its power, making offerings to the kami of the kiln before every firing and often crediting outstanding glaze effects to the will of the kami rather than skill.
Flowers, plants and trees of the four seasons feature prominently in Japan’s litera- ture and art, and ceramic vessels have long been adorned with cherry blossoms, rep- resenting spring and the transience of life, or pine trees symbolizing winter and re- silience. Even ceramic forms can vary with the season. Tea bowls with thick, vertical walls are more appropriate for winter since they keep the tea warm, while shallow, al- most flat tea bowls let the tea cool quickly in the summer. As this exhibition demonstrates, potters often pay homage to the power and beauty of nature by creating vessels with glazes reminiscent of tree bark, bamboo stalks, or dramatically crashing waves. Taijiro Ito’s photographs included in this exhibition demonstrate beautifully the connection between their ceramics and nature.
Tradition in Japanese Ceramics
As with many of Japan’s arts, the realm of ceramics is bound strongly by tradition. Cer- tain regions of Japan have plentiful supplies of clay, water and trees suitable for the pro- duction of stoneware ceramics, and centuries ago, communities of potters established kilns in these areas and produced utilitarian storage jars, food dishes and sake bottles, and from the 16th century onwards, tea bowls, caddies, water jars and other tea cere- mony wares. Each kiln evolved specific styles. Shigaraki, near Kyoto is known for rough utilitarian wares textured by feldspar specks in the glaze, while Bizen wares from Okaya- ma have smooth, unglazed surfaces often exquisitely patterned by burn marks from the firing. From Mino near Nagoya, Shino wares with their thick, creamy glazes and the play- ful Oribe wares with a copper green glaze paired with underglazed iron painted designs were born from tea culture and their popularity spread far beyond.
The potters of these communities handed down their skills and secrets to their eldest sons, and generation after generation have continued to produce wares of the same style, rarely changing the style or forms produced or signing their works. Some of the artists in this exhibition are from lineages that go back over 10 generations, or 300 years. In the early 20th century, Japan’s Mingei, or Folk Art movement hailed the contribution of the nation’s unknown potters, and today, even though many artists working at these kilns produce traditional wares, they are increasingly signing their work and receiving recog- nition as individual artists.
Innovation in Japanese Ceramics
From the late 19th century, when Japan opened its ports to world trade, Japanese artists in all media began to feel the influence of Western art. In ceramics, changes happened relatively slowly. During the Folk Art movement of the early 20th century, foreign pot- ters, most notably Bernard Leach (1887-1979), worked at Japanese kilns and introduced innovations, like handles on teacups, to local potters. From around the mid-20th century, some Japanese potters started to travel overseas to study ceramic techniques in Europe and the United States, while others learned their craft at art school rather than as part of a family tradition. Kazhuiko Miwa, an 11th generation Hagi potter learned traditional Hagi pottery from his father, Living National Treasure, Kyusetsu Miwa, but also studied at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1975-1981 and was strongly influenced by American ce- ramic artist Peter Voulkos (1924-2002).
Many of the objects in this exhibition are somewhat traditional in form and style but there are a number of pieces that are strikingly contemporary. Geometric forms with sharp edges and lines characterize Yohei Konishi’s Spiral Tokoname-ware Tsubo vase and Keii- chi Shimizu’s slab-built Tamba-ware Vases and Footed Tray. Both artists have blended traditional clay and glazes to createfunctional vessels with very contemporary forms. Hosei Udagawa departed even further. He continued to use the clay and glaze of his native Hagi, but created in works such as his piece Tenzan, or Heavenly Mountain in this ex- hibition, he crossed into the realm of pure sculpture.
Ceramics in Japanese Tea Ceramony
Powdered green tea, or matcha, first arrived in Japan in the late 12th century when Japa- nese monks, who studied meditational Buddhism (Japanese: Zen) in China, brought both Zen and tea drinking as a meditational aid back to Japan. Tea drinking soon spread into the residences of samurai warlords who embraced Zen Buddhism, Chinese painting, and all things Chinese. In the 14th century, military leaders appointed connoisseurs to cata- logue their Chinese artifacts and display them while entertaining guests with tea – in an early form of the tea ceremony, or chanoyu. Later, several tea masters including Sen no Rikyu (1521-1591) developed the practice further in to a spiritual pursuit, emphasizing the appreciation of nature, the aesthetics of simplicity, humility and austerity and the use of native ceramics. Their philosophy profoundly influenced both the world of tea and of ce- ramics in Japan.
Many ceramic objects are used in the tea ceremony, from the flower vases, or hana-ire, placed in the tokonoma alcove to the tiny tea caddy, or cha-ire, that contains the pow- dered tea and the lidded water jar, or mizusashi, that holds the fresh water. Most import- ant of all is the tea bowl, or chawan, in which the host whisks up and serves the tea and from which the guest receives it. Each of these vessels is created by the potter with a particular aesthetic sensibility in mind and is selected by the host with the intention of creating a tea ceremony that is perfectly suited to the occasion, season, mood, and guest.
Sake in Japanese Ceramics
Sake, an alcoholic drink made from rice, is considered by many to be Japan’s national drink. It has been drunk in Japan for over 2,000 years and has played a significant role in many of the country’s religious and secular customs. Since the beginning of its history, the wine has been associated with Japan’s indigenous gods, and has been drunk at ceremonies and festivals as a means of bringing people closer to the gods. It has also been consumed at weddings, reunions, cherry blossom viewing parties, and other festive social occasions in order to bring people closer to each other.
Sake can be served chilled, heated or at room temperature, depending on the drinker, the quality of the brew and the season. Over the centuries, a rich assortment of sake vessels (Japanese: shuki) have been crafted out of clay, wood, lacquer, and metal for the pur- pose of storing, heating, serving and drinking sake. The drink is traditionally served from a flask called tokkuri, usually a bulbous form with a narrow neck, and poured into small cups called guinomi or choko. The reason for the petite size is twofold: first, smaller cups compel the drinker to sip the sake slowly and savor the taste; second, as it is customary to serve sake to one another, smaller sizes allow people to pour sake several times for each other throughout an event. Sake can also be sipped from saucer-like cups called sakazuki, often used at weddings, or box forms called masu, originally used for measuring rice and often used at restaurants.
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CERAMIC OBJECT LABELS Naomi Yokohama (b.1970) Nerikomi Vase, 2009 Unglazed stoneware Bizen ware Yokoyama lives in the hills of Bizen, where his father was also a potter. He started studying pottery at the Bizen ceramic center in 1992 and was selected to exhibit his work at many regional art and craft expositions, before founding his own kiln in 2000. A relatively young potter, Yokoyama is gaining increasing attention. He works in forms that range from strong to organic and in tones of soft orange and brown, reminiscent of autumn leaves. This particular vase was made using nerikomi, a ceramic marbling technique in which strips of clay in varying colors or stains are carefully stacked, folded and arranged. When fired, the layers of clay merge together and appear as blended lines, creating a marbled effect. Yukiya Izumita (b.1966) Sekakai Vase, 2010 Unglazed stoneware Yukiya Izumata grew up in Iwate prefecture in northern Japan. After college, he worked for three years in Tokyo, but in 1992 he returned to rural Japan to learn pottery. In 1995, he established his own kiln in Noda-mura in Iwate Prefecture, and immediately began winning prestigious awards for his work. Izumita feels a strong connection to nature, especially to the muted colors and roughness of earth in his surroundings. Using clay from his area, and blending in sand and stones, he creates unique clay from which he forms almost paper-thin, angular forms that evoke the passage of time, erosion, and decay. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Sakurei Okamoto (b. 1958) Ancient Tree Platter, 2010 Glazed stoneware with iron-painted underglaze Karatsu ware Sakurei Okamoto is one of the foremost Karatsu potters working today and prides himself on his traditional approach to his work. The Karatsu kilns in Kyushu were established by Korean potters in the late 16th century, and since then, they have produced both utilitarian and tea ceremony wares. Okamoto works with the glossy black and creamy white glazes characteristic of this tradition, but he truly excels at dishes and other vessels decorated with abstracted natural motifs rendered in iron-brown pigment under a transparent glaze. This large platter features a twisting trunk of a pine tree, abbreviated and animated so that it appears to dance over the entire surface of the dish. Ken Matsuzaki (b. 1950) Vase, 2011 Glazed Stoneware Oribe ware Born in Tokyo, Ken Matsuzaki grew up surrounded by art and culture, and at the age of 16 he developed an interest in ceramics. In 1972, after graduating from Tamagawa University’s College of Arts, he apprenticed with (National Living Treasure) Tatsuzo Shimaoka (1919-2007) in the Mashiko folk pottery center revitalized by Shoji Hamada (1894-1978), in the early 20th century in Tochigi, north of Tokyo. During his apprenticeship, he eventually evolved his own style, motifs, and palette of glazes. His work incorporates elements from many of Japan’s major ceramic centers. The flat-sided form of this slab-built flower vase is reminiscent of the work of Hamada and Shimaoka, and features the bold copper green glaze that characterizes the Oribe wares from the Mino kilns near Nagoya. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Mitsunori Tokuzawa (b. 1957) Sea Spray Breaking on Rocks, 2011 Glazed stoneware Karatsu ware Karatsu wares have been made at the kilns of Karatsu in northern Kyushu for over 400 years now. The wares are typically decorated with iron-brown designs painted under a transparent glaze, such as the pine tree design of Sakurei Okamoto’s Ancient Tree Platter also featured in this exhibition. However, a more dramatic type is Chosen-garatsu, or “Korean Karatsu,” in which a glossy black glaze is slightly overlapped with a white glaze to create a bold contrasting effect. Mitsunori Tokuzawa specializes in this particular style of Karatsu ware, and in this piece, he has manipulated the contrasting glazes to masterfully replicate the effect of waves crashing onto a rocky shore. Atarashi Kanji (b. 1944) Iga Vase, 2009 Glazed stoneware Iga ware Atarashi Kanji was born in Osaka in 1944, and graduated from the Osaka College of Craft Design. His contemporary take on the rugged, often powerful forms of Iga ware is apparent in this unusual, three-sided vase, which can be displayed either standing or lying on its back. The shell shapes that were impressed into the glaze to provide support in the kiln during firing have been incorporated into its decorative scheme. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Yoshitaka Hasu (b. 1949) Half Moon Plates, 2012 Glazed stoneware Iga ware Iga ware is produced in Iga in Mie prefecture near Kyoto, where supplies of a high-firing clay has made it a ceramic center for centuries. It is known for rugged, rustic-looking wares coated with a glassy feldspathic glaze. Since the late 16th century, Iga wares have been greatly admired for their crooked, even purposefully deformed shapes. These imperfect qualities resonated with the wabi (cultivated poverty and rusticity) and sabi (beauty of age) aesthetics promoted by the tea master Sen no Rikyu and admired by many practitioners of tea. Originally from Nagasaki, Yoshitaka Hasu apprenticed with Iga potters in the 1970s before establishing his own kiln in Iga and creating both utilitarian and sculptural ceramics. His set of half-moon dishes was made to hold small portions of food in the kaiseki meal, which is traditionally served before the tea ceremony. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Yasuhiro Kohara (b. 1954) Handled Basket, 2006 Glazed stoneware Shigaraki ware Self-taught with no formal ceramic schooling, Yasuhiro Kohara works in a variety of styles and forms and has gained considerable international acclaim. His free and intuitive style is evident in his dynamic manipulation of clay. Kohara is known for extraordinary washes of green glaze, evocative of the lush green mountainous expanse of Shiga prefecture. Based in Shigaraki, in Shiga prefecture, he uses the local clay, which is textured by specks of feldspar that burst onto the vessel surface during firing. Many of his works are characterized by a “dragonfly eye” jewel-like effect created when the natural ash glazes collect and pool together, as can be seen in the interior of this basket. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Satoru Hoshino (b. 1945) First Snow of Spring Vase, 2009 Hand-formed, glazed stoneware Satoru Hoshino creates his pieces by coiling clay into large tubes and using his fingers to morph the clay, a common practice before the invention of the potter’s wheel. Through this process, Hoshino engages in a dialogue with the clay while also paying homage to the humble origins of ceramics, focusing on the transformation of the medium. Many of his forms resemble tornadoes or falling rock formations, as glazes flow freely along the soft ripples, emphasizing the essence of clay itself. The hand is a visible and prominent element in his works, and when he uses glazes, he allows them to pool and drip rhythmically on the interior and exterior of the works. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Kaku Hayashi (b. 1953) Kegon Falls Vase, 2011 Stoneware The Eastern philosophy of Zen Buddhism has provided wide- ranging inspiration for Kaku Hayashi’s ceramic work. She exploits the malleability of clay to express her ideas through a dynamic series of folds, combined with undulations derived from calligraphy brushwork. Her series of works entitled Kegon Falls was inspired by the beautiful waterfall Kegon no Taki in Tochigi prefecture, close to her own home. This masterful work brilliantly evokes in pottery the dramatic cascade of water down a slick rock wall. Her unique sculptural approach, deeply influenced by Japan’s nature and spirituality has ensured her a high position in Japan’s ceramic art world. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Yohei Konishi (b. 1941) Large Vase, ca. 1990 Glazed Stoneware Tokoname ware Tokoname is one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns, or Rokkoyo, and has been a ceramics center for almost 1,000 years, producing utilitarian stonewares and later tea wares with a brownish body and natural ash glazes. Now Tokoname is perhaps best known as the major producer of teapots for steeped green leaf tea, or sencha, in Japan. Yohei Konishi learned pottery from his father, and although he feels most comfortable building teapots, he has created many pieces that are more works of art than utilitarian vessels. The spiral vase here is an example of his departure from tradition, as he has taken the ancient tsubo (storage jar form), twisted, and carved it until it is a highly poetic work of sculpture. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Ichiro Kimura (1915-1978) Snow Melting in Spring Stream Plate, 1965 Glazed Stoneware Shino ware The Shino kilns located close to Nagoya were established in the 16th century to produce tea ceramics. Influenced by the white-glazed tea bowls made by the Korean potters who first worked at the kilns, these wares have long been celebrated for their thick, white glazes that often have a slightly pink hue or an intense crackle. Ichiro Kimura was a renowned Mashiko potter who studied with Shojii Hamada in the 1930s, established his own kiln in 1947, and was given a retrospective there in 1998. He worked in many different styles, and here we see a poetic application of the Shino glaze onto a square food dish. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Hideki Goto (b. 1963) Shell Vase, 2011 Glazed stoneware Shino ware Hideki Goto was born in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu and graduated from the Tajimi Technical High School before beginning work as a ceramic artist in the Mino area near Nagoya. He is best known for his abstracted shell-form vessels coated with a thick, creamy Shino glaze. In these sculptural and highly organic modern works, the pinkish-orange tone from the iron in the clay appears to seep through bubbles and cracks in the glaze, as is characteristic of traditional Shino wares. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Shiro Tsujimura (b. 1947) Tall Sculptural Vase, 2004 Stoneware Iga ware As a youth, Shiro Tsujimura aspired to be a painter and later entered a monastery where he received formal training. While visiting a museum one day, Tsujimura saw a Korean tea bowl and was captivated; he suddenly felt all the beauty and sadness of humanity, and at age 22, decided to become a potter. Infused with the philosophy of Zen, Tsujimura formed a natural connection with clay. He found a remote plot of land in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, and began building his compound by hand. Instead of building one large kiln that could only be fired once a year, he built several small kilns that could be fired every week. Completely self-taught, Tsujimura is renowned for his tea bowls and sculptural forms with rustic simplicity. His Iga-style vertical vase captures the irregularity and imperfection so admired in Iga ware. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Kazuhiko Miwa (b. 1951) Vase, 2009 Glazed stoneware Hagi ware Born into one of the most celebrated ceramics families in Hagi, Kazuhiko Miwa is the son of Living National Treasure Kyusetsu Miwa, an eleventh generation master potter. Miwa studied at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1975-1981 and was greatly influenced by Peter Voulkos. Hagi ware evolved in Yamaguchi prefecture in the late 16th century under the influence of Korean potters brought to Japan, and is noted for its rough surfaces, chunky forms and snow-white glaze. Known as Miwa white, this prominent Hagi glaze encrusts the surface of the form, creating a rich and luxurious texture. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Hosei Udagawa (1946-1993) Heavenly Mountain, 2010 Glazed stoneware Hagi ware Hosei Udagawa studied with his brother Seikoku Udagawa, and established his own kiln in 1982; he was considered among the leading Hagi ceramists before his untimely death in 1993. Observing nature and how it changes in the course of the seasons of the year plays a central role in Japanese aesthetics. Layered with several layers of thick glaze, this striking sculptural mountain is reminiscent of a snow-covered mountain. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Joji Yamashita (b. 1947) Jar, 2010 Unglazed stoneware Bizen ware Joji Yamashita is a member of Nihon Kogei Kai, the Traditional Craft Association of Japan, and has won numerous awards for his technical excellence and artistry both in Japan and internationally. Bizen ware ceramics from Okayama prefecture are renowned for their smooth, unglazed surfaces that feature organic patterning created during the firing process. Yamashita’s large vase is decorated with a traditional Bizen technique called hidasuki, in which straw is wrapped around a pot prior to firing. The straw burns off in the kiln during the high-temperature firing, leaving only abstract red cord markings. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Keiichi Shimizu (b. 1962) Large Vase, 2012 Stoneware Tanba ware Keiichi Shimizu, a fourth generation potter, followed in the footsteps of his father, a highly respected potter in the Tanba tradition, one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns, or Rokkoyo. Shimizu’s original designs are built from slab-built surfaces rather than wheel-thrown forms. He is especially interested in the three-dimensional interplay of lines and surfaces and uses clay of contrasting colors and textures to accentuate the intersecting planes. His works show a strong minimalist influence, with clean lines and taut surfaces. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Atsushi Takagaki (b. 1946) Scarlet-tinged Celadon Blinding Light No.1, 2009 Celadon glaze on stoneware The grayish-green celadon glaze was invented in China over 1000 years ago, and due to its unpredictable nature, it is one of the most difficult glazes to master. The luminous green tone derives from tiny quantities of iron oxide that fire pale green in a reduction firing (a kiln atmosphere starved of oxygen). In China, it was prized by royalty and exported widely. Korean potters achieved greatness in celadon in the 13th century, but the Japanese came late to the glaze in the 17th century at a small number of kilns. Atsushi Takagaki spent decades researching the glaze and has evolved his own version of it by carefully layering two types of celadon glaze: one traditional and the other a reinvented celadon infused with delicate scarlet red hues amongst a sea of green, producing an extremely subtle effect on his angular slab-built forms. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Yasukage Kato XIV Large Platter, 2010 Glazed stoneware Oribe ware Kato was the 14th generation of his family to make pottery, stretching all the way back to the Momoyama period. Working both in the white-glazed Shino and the more lively Oribe traditions, Kato successfully balanced classical technique with sculptural sensibilities to produce works that are at once utilitarian vessels and fine works of art. His two Oribe-style pieces in this exhibition demonstrate his elegant treatment of two functional wares, a flower vase and a platter. In particular the platter, with the combed pattern of a swirling water current, demonstrates his poetic approach to ceramic design. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Hadetake Ando (b. 1938) Long Platter, ca. 1995 Glazed stoneware Oribe ware This massive platter is a sculpted basin coated with glassy- green Oribe glaze. Oribe wares have been produced in the Mino area near Nagoya since the late 16th century, under the influence of the tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615), who inspired a playful style of ceramics using bold, glossy glazes often combined with underglaze decorations. Oribe wares have also traditionally featured eccentric forms, inspired by human play and by nature. In Ando’s platter, deep grooves have been cut from the slab of clay, the edges torn and ragged with dollops of green dripping from the base. Hidetake Ando was named an Important Prefectural Cultural Property in 2003 (Gifu-Ken Juyo Mukei Bunkazai, the prefectural version of the Living National Treasure). Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Katsumi Kako (b. 1965) Bowl, 2009 Ash-glazed stoneware Born in 1965, the third generation of a family of potters associated with decorative Kyoto ceramics, Katsumi Kako moved away from Kyoto and this tradition to explore his individual creativity. His recent work moves beyond traditional wares and glazes to large-scale sculptural works. The artist uses a single-chambered wood-fired kiln that he built himself and is small enough to fire without assistance. The fugitive reds of early Jōmon pottery feature prominently in his work, which he calls haikaku or ash red. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Gaku Shakunaga (b. 1978) Spiraling Pyramid, 2010 Glazed stoneware Oribe ware Growing up near the towering mountains of Toyama, Gaku Shakunaga learned pottery from his father. Initially creating strictly functional works, Shakunaga later focused on abstract and conceptual forms. In his structural works, he layers individual slabs of flattened clay to create stepped formations, evocative of the great pyramids. Using his hands to tear each slab, the clay is left with a rough texture that exposes the rich duality and variation of the green copper Oribe glaze. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Shigemasa Higashida (b. 1955) Waterfall Lidded Vessel, 2012 Glazed stoneware Oribe ware Shigemasa Higashida was born in Hiroshima, Japan. He received a BA from Shimonoseki Municipal University in 1978 and did a postgraduate course in ceramics at Gifu Prefectural Tajimi Technical High School. He established his studio in Tokyo, where he currently works predominantly in Shino and Oribe styles. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Hiro Ajiki (b. 1948) Stone Gate Vase, 1995 Stoneware Bizen ware Hiro Ajiki was born in Hirata in Shimane prefecture, where he still has his kiln. He studied oil painting at college but left the program, later choosing to study ceramics and establish his own studio and kiln in Shimane, where he works in a number of different styles, including Raku, Shino, and Bizen. He focuses primarily on tea bowls, for which he has won numerous prizes, and is included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection in New York. However, Ajiki also creates larger forms, including sculptural works like this monumental Bizen-style piece. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Masahiro Miyao (b. 1970) Large Vase, 2009 Stoneware with natural ash glaze Bizen ware Masahiro Miyao was born in 1970 in Fukuoka prefecture on the island of Kyushu, and even when he was a child he knew he wanted to be a Bizen ceramic artist. With that goal in mind he dropped out of university in 1991 and headed to Bizen to become an apprentice. In 2001, he established his own kiln just outside Bizen and has since established a strong reputation with his elegant wares, which blend novel forms with a mastery of traditional Bizen decorative techniques. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Hiroyuki Wakimoto (b.1952) Botamochi Long Platter, 2011 Unglazed stoneware Bizen ware Hiroyuki Wakimoto was born on Tsushima, a small island west of Kyushu. He studied painting at college, but it was not until later that he decided to pursue ceramics as a career, and moved to Bizen where he apprenticed with a master potter. He has been creating Bizen wares in Imbe, a small farming town near the Inland Sea, for over 20 years. He uses traditional Bizen techniques like hidasuki, in which patterns are burned onto the vessel surface using rice straw. This platter features three botamochi, circles created by covering the plate’s surface with rice straw and then placing three balls of clay on top of the straw. During firing, the rice straw burns, darkening most of the surface of the platter. The surface under the clay does not burn or become covered with ash, so they remain the original color of the clay. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Ryuichi Kakurezaki (b.1950) Dead Bird Form Wall Vase, 2009 Stoneware with natural ash glaze Bizen ware Kakurezaki is one of the most popular ceramicists working at the Bizen kilns. Originally from Nagasaki, Kakurezaki trained with Jun Isezaki (a designated a prefectural cultural treasure Bizen ceramic artist), and then established his own kiln in 1985. Besides creating the traditional style of Bizen wares that have been popular since the late 16th century, he is a notable innovator in the style. He experiments with form by cutting jagged ridges into the sides of vessels, twists forms, and creates vases inspired by unusual aspects of nature. His original designs earned him success and a reputation soon after establishing his own kiln. He has won numerous juried exhibitions as well as the Japan Ceramic Society Prize. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Tetsuya Ishiyama (b.1973) Lidded Water Vessel, n.d. Stoneware with natural ash glaze Bizen ware Tetsuya Ishiyama was born in Saitama prefecture near Tokyo, and has had residencies in China and Taiwan, but has his studio is in Shigaraki. The style of his ceramics extends beyond the roughly textured Shigaraki ware; in fact he is most known for his refined, curving sculptural pieces, many of which are finished with gold and silver. His works have won awards throughout Japan and have been exhibited and collected internationally. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Shiro Tsujimura (b.1947) Fire,Water, Clay Scroll, ca.2010 Ink on paper mounted as a hanging scroll Renowned potter Shiro Tsujimura was born in Nara but left for Tokyo to study oil painting in the 1960s, during which time he became drawn to pottery. After two years at a Zen temple near Nara, he returned to his family home and then built a studio and kilns there. For over 40 years, he has created wares in a broad range of ceramic styles and has also created striking calligraphic works, many of which celebrate the pottery-makeing process. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Yui Tsujimura (b.1975) Large Bowl, 2007 Stoneware with natural ash glaze Sue ware Yui Tsujimura, he eldest son of the renowned potter, Shiro Tsujimura, grew up in close contact with freshly made pots and vessels. His works are characterized by elegant, organic forms and colors, which are often achieved using natural ash glazes and are inspired by a range of native styles. The addition of Japanese oak ash to the kiln during the firing creates a fresh, blue-green glaze on many of his works. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Shigemasa Higashida (b.1955) Oribe Platter, 2015 Glazed stoneware Oribe ware Shigemasa Higashida was born in Hiroshima Prefecture, and studied at Shimonoseki Municipal University and at Gifu Prefectural Tajimi Technical High School. He established his studio in Koganei-shi in Tokyo and has been producing ceramics in two principle styles — milky-white Shino wares and Oribe wares which have long been admired for their vivid green glazes and unconventional, often whimsical, forms. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Satoshi Arakawa (b.1971) Wide-necked Vase, n.d. Ash-glazed (yohen) stoneware Shigaraki ware Satoshi Arakawa is a young potter from Yamagata Prefecture in northern Japan. A love of Shigaraki clay inspired him to move to the ceramics town, apprentice to Shigaraki potter, Shiro Otani, and then establish a studio and kiln of his own, where he creates wares that express much of the traditional spirit of Shigaraki ware. His large storage jars, vases, and sake wares feature the warm body color and splashes of “accidental” ash glaze that characterize Shigaraki ceramics, but he adds a dramatic, contemporary flare to these traditional wares with his designs. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Seiko Minegishi (b.1952 Celadon Bowl, n.d. Celadon-glazed stoneware Seiko Minegishi is an independent ceramic artist from Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo. He studied ceramics for a short time with a teacher in Nagano Prefecture, but is mostly self-taught. Early in his career as a ceramic artist, he became fascinated with Chinese and Korean green-glazed celadons, both by their elegant forms and their rich and challenging glazes. After prolific research and much trial and error, he perfected the making of exquisitely crackled celadon glazes ranging in tone from brown to green to blue. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer Hiromi Okamura (b.1953) Horse with Boy, 2013 Glazed stoneware Born in 1953 in Kyoto, Japan, Okumura received his art training in the Department of Ceramics at Kyoto City University of Arts. He launched his independent career in ceramics after earning his Masters degree in 1978, and has since been one of Kyoto’s most prolific and original ceramic artists working with many diverse styles and techniques and showing his work widely in Japan and overseas. This ongoing series of incense burners is produced in the shape of zodiac animals of each year in the East Asian lunar calendar. Collection of Gordon Brodfuehrer |
