This weekend, a former resident was here to fire a kiln. She lives in Japan now, and teaches English, and still comes back to Shigaraki when she can. What a nice arrangement! On Friday night, a big group went out to dinner with her, which was quite fun. We went to a local restaurant that mostly serves what can only be described as fried foods on a stick. In theory, not so appealing, but in reality, it was all quite tasty, if not a bit excessive. They served such a variety: asparagus wrapped in bacon, shrimp and scallions, little green chili peppers, cheese, prawn, mushrooms, little sausages... It was delicious, not too greasy, but by the end of the meal, much too filling.
The little frogs for your sticks once you were done eating the fried food from them.
The happy diners.
The owners of the restaurant, and their daughter.
The next day, Saturday, another resident, Yuji, had a gallery opening in Kyoto, so most of us were planning to go. Some went early to spend time in Kyoto, some took a later bus, some waited until the last minute in order to get more work done. I was part of that last group, though "last minute" actually means catching the 4:36 bus in order to arrive at the opening at 6. Kyoto may be close, but it takes some doing to get there. Nel and Antra were my travel companions, and the hour-long bus ride passed quickly while we talked. Then a train, and a taxi from Kyoto station to the gallery, and we arrived. The gallery was very nice - it might have been a converted Japanese-style house, with tatami rooms and a beautiful garden. There were two exhibits at the time, Yuji's, and that of a South American metal worker who had lived in Japan for 20 years or so. Nearly everyone was in the rooms with Yuji's work. We were given glasses of champagne when we arrived, and a low table was in the middle of one room, with a variety of sushi, bread, and other little bits to eat. They were using dishes Yuji had made to serve some of the food, and one of his panels was on the table, covered by glass and then by food. Pieces of his work were on shelves, walls, floors, and the largest display of nearly human-height pillars was in the garden. The Japanese style to the rooms were a perfect setting, since his work has a subtle traditional flavor to it. It is rather rough with complex surfaces, but at the same time, mostly simple forms.
Enjoying the company, the artwork, and of course, the food.
Standing pieces in a rather traditional setting.
Tiny, delicate pieces on tiny glass shelves.
Impressive sculptures in the garden.
As if all that was not enough excitment, on Monday morning I got a call from Minori saying a visit had been arranged, and would like to go with some of the other residents to see a local potter who was firing his kiln? Of course I would! I think most of us ended up going. I did not catch his name, but he was a Shigaraki potter with a studio and kilns at his home (a large and beautiful complex, I might add). From what I gathered, the design of the kiln he was firing was based on research done in China at the old kiln sights, and only within the last 10 years or so had he really been able to control it to his liking. It was a wood-fired kiln with two chambers, and the lower chamber was brought up to temperature, then the higher chamber would be fired up to temperature the next day. In this particular kiln he was trying to achieve the "hiiro" color - literally translated it is "fire color," brilliant shades of oranges and reds, fading to white in places. He also had a noborigama which he uses for glazed pieces. When we arrived, they (the potter, and I believe it was his daughter) were still stoking the first chamber, but it was nearly to temperature (they would go to about 1300 degrees Celsius). We also could peek into his studio, and we were allowed to go into one of the rooms to look at some of his finsihed work, where we met the "old master" - presumably his father. It was a great experience, and so nice to see firsthand some of the techniques used here.
Explaining some of the process for Minori to translate for us.
Adding more wood.
A great example of the hiiro coloring.
The noborigama, which was right next to the other kiln. It looked to have 3 chambers.
The studio building, which I think was also connected to the house. I also heard he has a tea house, as well.
He seems to make everything from large thrown pots to tiny little hina figures for the Girls' Day celebration.
A bit of the studio space.
Very nice display of decorative garden pieces.
I was particularly fond of the simple, natural glaze on these teacups.
Some of the master's work.
A pond in part of the garden... The orange spot in the water is one of the largest and most beautiful koi I've ever seen, but the water was too murky to get a good photo.
And of course, everyone had to play with his adorable and friendly little dachshund!
1 comment:
Great blog, i like your art pieces very much.
Greetings from Europe!
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