The name of Oribe Yaki is rather unique. It’s actually named after a single individual. Furuta Shigenari (1544-1615) was a warrior who once served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobunaga. He became the foremost tea master when his teacher Sen no Rikyu perished.
Furuta taught the ceremony to the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada and gained the honorific […]
Macro crystallization in ceramic art is an interesting topic. It’s a field of study that many artists are still engaged in to this day. While glazing chemistries might be stable there is still a great deal we don’t know about crystalline patterns.
For a long time, it was believed that an oxidation atmosphere was necessary […]
Ameyu glazing techniques produce a really interesting sheen, but it takes quite a while for a yakimono ceramics artist to master the style. Its not something that one can learn in a single day. Considering the deep colors that come from ameyu processes the long training process can certainly be worth it.
As with anything, […]
As one might imagine due to their importance as a national symbol, cherry blossoms feature quite prominently in Japanese art. When Utagawa Hiroshige painted the Fuji Sanju-Rokkei in the 1850s, he was working with material that Katsushika Hokusai had already touched previously. His versions of the scenes perhaps made cherry blossoms that much more […]
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is always a popular event, and its just starting to pick up momentum in the Washington D.C. area. The festival celebrates the March 27, 1912 gift of 3,020 from Mayor Ozaki Yukio to the city of Washington D.C. It was designed to highlight the growing relationship between the United […]
One of the more enduring images of Japan are the beautiful cherry blossoms that bloom every spring. They’ve become so popular that news broadcasts in Japan even feature maps that show when the blooming season will occur. These maps depict blooming blossoms as though they were a moving weather front. While they might wreak […]
Yanagi Muneyoshi founded the Mingei folk art movement, but luxurious Japanese urushi pieces have been popular for centuries. Mingei artists used red, black and various types of colored lacquer patterns to spruce up traditional folk crafts. The Japan Folk-Craft Museum is putting on an exhibition of about 100 different pieces.
The pieces include mother-of-pearl sets, […]
The term Tamba Yaki refers to ceramics made in the village of Tachikui, Hyogo. This area has been involved in the ceramics trade for over eight centuries. There are few places in Japan that have such a consistent art tradition. Tamba Yaki is one of the six ancient Japanese pottery styles, and is certainly […]
Those who take a personal interest in yakimono pieces used for tea ceremonies should head on down to the Seikado Bunko Art Museum before March 24, 2013. The Yohen and Yuteki Sado Tea Ceremony Masterpieces collection is one of the most important exhibitions of tea ceremony vessels visible to members of the general public […]