Japanese Shigaraki Jar for Ikebana by Shiho Kanzaki

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A Shigaraki stoneware jar by Japanese potter Shino Kanzaki (1942-2018). Kanzaki is a world renowned potter in Shigaraki who based … Read more A Shigaraki stoneware jar by Japanese potter Shino Kanzaki (1942-2018). Kanzaki is a world renowned potter in Shigaraki who based his modern work on the ancient tradition of Shigaraki and Iga ware by firing his pieces in anagama kiln (underground cave kiln). All his pieces were unglazed and fired for a prolonged period of 10-15 days in the kiln. The long period of firing allows the gradual accumulation of the natural ash glaze (shizen-yu) on the surface of the pottery while the ash circulates and splashes randomly. The ash thus slowly become part of the melted surface and form patterns by-chance known as keshiki (landscapes). The final results, such as the color, textures as well as patterns, depend on the placement of pieces and their interaction with fire and ashes.
The jar on offer here is

He has been featured on the covers of Ceramics Art and Perception (No. 32, 1998) and Ceramics Monthly (summer 1997).

A Shigaraki stoneware ikebana jar (tsubo) by Japanese potter Shiho Kazanki (1942-2018). Based in the town of Shigaraki, Kanzaki created modern pottery inspired by the ancient Shigaraki and Iga ware using traditional anagama kiln (a half buried cave like kiln, the oldest kind in Japan). His unglazed pieces were fired for 10-15 days, a prolonged period to allow the gradual accumulation and melting of the natural ash glaze (shizen-yu) into the surface, forming the landscape by chance, known as Keshiki. The final results, such as the glaze patterns, colors, thickness and texture all depend on the placement of the pieces in the kiln and the interactions between the minerals in the clay with the random ashes circulating in the kiln during the firing process.
The ikebana vase on offer here is of a moon jar form with a harmonious proportion. The ash glaze was well melted onto the surface with a rather smooth texture without much encrustation. There is a subtle shifting of colors across the surface, random but poetic. The piece is marked underneath with the potter's insignia and it comes with an original tomobako, which bears the inscription in Kanji "Shigaraki Ware Ikebana" "Dream Kiln Made by Kanzaki", complete with a seal. Underside the lid, it bears inscription of the corporation gifting note "To commemorate the president position of the East Sea Medicine Corp". Also it retains the original paperwork in Japanese about the artist as shown.
Further reading on the artist: Ceramics Art and Perception (No. 32, 1998) and Ceramics Monthly (summer 1997). See less