Hello everyone, how are you all doing?
Thank you very much for your exceptional patronage again this year.
We will continue our efforts to introduce wonderful works next year, so we appreciate your continued support of Kawaguchi Tourakuen.
Well, today is our final blog update of the year.
To mark the end of the year, I would like to introduce a masterpiece of Old Bizen.
It is what is commonly known among Old Bizen fans as a "sea-recovered" (umi-agari) piece, and specifically, a rare eight-sun flat bowl.
The center of the vessel glows with a fiery scarlet hue, making it truly spectacular.
As you move toward the outer rim, the color becomes deeper due to reduction firing,
with a bluish-gray clay texture becoming more prominent.
This apparently captures the characteristics of the flames at the time the clay was fired solid;
as the kiln started, the outer edges fired first,
and due to the nearly airtight conditions, the colors of reduction firing remain.
In the subsequent stage, where air was introduced in large amounts, the center fired solid,
strongly influenced by the oxidation firing colors characteristic of that flame state.
It is fascinating how the clay acts like a recorder, preserving the state of the flames.
Because this side was placed face down on another piece during firing, it is covered in abundant "goma" (ash glaze).
This color of goma is truly unique to Old Bizen;
with its subtle, whitish hue, you can tell it is Old Bizen at a single glance from afar.
The grayish areas are what is known as "goma-hage" (flaked goma),
where the ash that did not adhere to the surface and was left loose was scraped off before shipping.
Old Bizen pieces often underwent post-firing customizations, such as modifications to ears or bodies,
which is quite interesting given how different that mindset is from modern attitudes toward ceramics.
The sticky, brownish clay texture is also deeply tasteful, allowing you to enjoy a different aesthetic on the reverse side.
The production method involved stacking coils to raise the clay walls, then creating a rolled rim before stretching it outwards.
An eight-sun Old Bizen bowl of the same type I saw before had the exact same construction.
The base, which lacks a foot ring, was also constructed the same way, suggesting it was likely a standardized form for such dishes.
There are kiln cracks on the upper diagonal and opposite sides, but these are very common in Old Bizen,
and I suspect they weren't much of a concern back then.
From the shaping of the work and the method of kiln loading to the mindset for usage,
it is intriguing that a completely different set of common sense existed in the era of Old Bizen compared to today.
The box includes an appraisal certificate from 1997.
Because this piece was recovered from the sea, it has effectively been preserved underwater,
so there is almost no dirt on the piece, and the condition is closer to that of work by a contemporary potter.
The skin is in good condition, making it possible to actually use this Old Bizen piece for serving food.
Of course, it is also a highly luxurious piece to simply admire, with different aesthetics to enjoy on the front and back.
(Old Bizen, Momoyama Period / Sea-recovered Eight-sun Bowl, with Appraisal Box)
size: diameter 24.0cm × diameter 23.7cm × height 4.2cm price: Sold
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