Wishing you comfort during the lingering summer heat.
As I am sure you are all aware, I am posting a list of the works by Anjin Abe that were recently stolen.
Any information, no matter how minor, would be greatly appreciated, so please contact us if you notice anything.
Thank you for your kind cooperation.
『On August 15th, it was discovered that a total of over twenty pieces had been stolen from the kiln area: one Ibe dango three-legged lion-ear flower vase, two Ibe lion-ear flower vases, and seven or eight unpainted natural-glaze stage gourd-shaped sake bottles (all featuring a design of Mt. Fuji inside a circle), as well as several other sake bottles and water jars. We have reported this to the police and an investigation is underway.
As all these works are unfinished, we cannot provide any box inscriptions or certifications for any well-meaning purchasers. We apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your continued cooperation.』
The works in progress that were stolen had been fired for over half a year to ensure they were sufficiently coated in natural glaze for the gourd-shaped sake bottles. I estimate they had been fired at least eight times.
As for the gourd designs, one side of all eight pieces features a painting of Mt. Fuji inside a circle; this design was a first and only attempt for these stolen pieces.
The reverse side features a paulownia crest, and a significant amount of natural glaze has already adhered. Because they are carved for color painting, they appear unnatural and uninteresting in their current natural-glaze state. There is some colored glass present, but this was intended to fuse with the natural glaze and was scheduled to be burnt off during the final main firing. They are unfinished and unnatural.
The Ibe dango three-legged lion-ear flower vase had been fired dozens of times over more than a year. The foot of the vase stuck to the kiln shelf, leaving a large scar where it was peeled off. The vase is difficult to stand upright, so it is balanced with three dango-shaped legs. The Ibe lion-ear flower vases had been fired for a similar length of time and number of sessions as the previous piece. All three pieces share the same gourd-shaped mouth style and are about 23cm tall, which is short for the flower vases I create.
Furthermore, while my memory is not entirely certain, I believe the theft included several Ibe sake bottles fired five or six times, as well as a water jar and several sake cups. It is no exaggeration to say that these twenty-plus pieces represent my entire body of work from the past year and a half.
These pieces were consolidated into this state starting from the production of several times this amount of raw clay work.
These were all the works into which I poured my passion for a year and a half after improving my kiln to a super-small one last year.
Anjin Abe
