I hear that Hokkaido has seen its latest first snowfall of the season since the end of the war, and it certainly feels as though it has suddenly turned cold.
But no matter how long the cold days continue, perhaps this is a welcome chill for pottery lovers.
Bizen ware is known for its warm tones, and above all, it has the advantage of retaining heat well, making it difficult for sake to cool down.
There is a saying that goes back to ancient times: "Bizen for sake bottles, Karatsu for sake cups."
Now, speaking of winter pleasures, there is also the opening of the kiln.
If you fire the kiln during the cold season, the temperature becomes just right. (Or rather, it’s so hot that even in winter, a T-shirt is enough.)
I plan to introduce various new pieces on our website, so please look forward to that.
Also, if you have any questions about specific pieces or the latest news on artists, please feel free to contact Kawaguchi Tourakuen.
Speaking of kiln openings, Mr. Aika was firing his kiln in Ushimado, so I went to visit him.
The brilliant flames of the kiln firing are so dreamlike and truly beautiful to behold.
I’ve been this way since I was a child, but for some reason, watching the flames makes me feel very relaxed.
Now, Mr. Aika’s kiln firing actually finishes in about a day and a half.
Usually, one imagines a kiln firing to take a week, ten days, or even longer, but because it is conducted according to the unique kiln-firing rules devised by Mr. Yasuto, the duration is very short.
To describe Mr. Aika’s kiln-firing schedule in detail: first, the kiln is lit with a burner around 9:00 AM.
After that, just past 1:00 PM, it transitions to a firing process using both kerosene and firewood.
By the way, I visited between 4:30 and 5:00, so the first photo is in this state.
The light is so strong you can't really see it, but relatively thin pieces of firewood were being fed into the kerosene burner.
Also, in the second photo, Mr. Aika is adding a few pieces of firewood.
There is the matter of the moisture in the wood, but I will write about that in detail on another occasion.
(This time there was some large wood containing moisture and some small, well-dried wood. *The dried wood is visible on the right side of the first photo.)
Then, from past 7:00 PM, it transitions to a full-scale kiln firing using only firewood, which continues until the following afternoon.
Among the pieces that emerge, those that meet the selection criteria are put up for sale, while those deemed not yet ready are saved for the next kiln firing.
By the way, he mentioned that there were only about a dozen or so pieces in the kiln at this time.
A typical Bizen climbing kiln holds hundreds of pieces, so there is quite a difference in both the number of items and the time taken.
I would like to visit and report on this in more detail again someday.
Mr. Aika’s new works are also scheduled to be posted on the website, so please look forward to them.
I’ve been this way since I was a child, but for some reason, watching the flames makes me feel very relaxed.
Now, Mr. Aika’s kiln firing actually finishes in about a day and a half.
Usually, one imagines a kiln firing to take a week, ten days, or even longer, but because it is conducted according to the unique kiln-firing rules devised by Mr. Yasuto, the duration is very short.
To describe Mr. Aika’s kiln-firing schedule in detail: first, the kiln is lit with a burner around 9:00 AM.
After that, just past 1:00 PM, it transitions to a firing process using both kerosene and firewood.
By the way, I visited between 4:30 and 5:00, so the first photo is in this state.
The light is so strong you can't really see it, but relatively thin pieces of firewood were being fed into the kerosene burner.
Also, in the second photo, Mr. Aika is adding a few pieces of firewood.
There is the matter of the moisture in the wood, but I will write about that in detail on another occasion.
(This time there was some large wood containing moisture and some small, well-dried wood. *The dried wood is visible on the right side of the first photo.)
Then, from past 7:00 PM, it transitions to a full-scale kiln firing using only firewood, which continues until the following afternoon.
Among the pieces that emerge, those that meet the selection criteria are put up for sale, while those deemed not yet ready are saved for the next kiln firing.
By the way, he mentioned that there were only about a dozen or so pieces in the kiln at this time.
A typical Bizen climbing kiln holds hundreds of pieces, so there is quite a difference in both the number of items and the time taken.
I would like to visit and report on this in more detail again someday.
Mr. Aika’s new works are also scheduled to be posted on the website, so please look forward to them.