Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog

Local Show

Posted on April 24, 2012 by japanesepots

Sorry, readers, it’s been awhile! It’s been a busy(and early!)spring, so I haven’t had a moment to write or take any photos. So I’ll see if I can’t make up some lost time with a bunch of new posts this week!
This Saturday a Bonsai lecture, demonstration, and small show was held here in Jackson at local Art Gallery Circa. I exhibited 12 or so trees, and 20 pots. The backgrounds were not optimal and more than a little distracting, but a good time was had by all. Sorry for the bad photos, it was tough to get good pics!

7 point shohin display. From top, Japanese Black pine, Old Chinese Pot; Root Over Rock Trident maple, Reiho pot; Viburnum, Ikkou pot, Acer Palmatum, Yamafusa pot; Korin Satsuki, Bigei pot; Mixed Accent, Haruyoshi pot; Princess Persimmon, Chinese pot.
The rack and accompanying table were custom made for me by Greg Johnson, of Artisan Bonsai Woodworks. I can’t recommend his work enough! Very good quality for the price! You can find Greg’s website here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~mnhawk/artisanbonsaistands/index.html

The stand for this Black pine was made by Jay Kolaya. His work is the best I’ve seen outside of the high end Japanese tables. Unbelievable attention to detail and craftsmanship!

Chuhin Shimpaku , Second Generation Tofukuji Pot; mixed accent, Furumoto pot; Miyasama Trident Maple, Bushuan pot.

Since the Lecture and Demos were geared toward beginners, I decided to bring a couple of trees in process.
Chinese Quince, Joshu Syozan pot; mixed accent, Tosui pot; Itoigawa Shimpaku, Ikkou pot. The shiny dome is yours truly!
The Itoigawa I brought for the benefit of those attending a follow up workshop next week, where I will show it again after a hard work and styling with the help of Bjorn Bjorholm(but more on that later!).

Posted in My Personal Collection | 2 Comments

Takagi Collection Tofukuji

Posted on March 27, 2012 by japanesepots

The following wonderful Heian Tofukuji pot was acquired by my friend and fellow collector Matt Ouwinga through Peter Warren at this years Kokufu-Ten exhibition. The pot itself is wonderful, rustic and large, clearly hand formed with great clay. I love the simple line texturing(a Naokata homage, see the post “A Very Special Pot” for more information). The patina is marvelous as well, clearly visible on the rim, and i really like the bottom texturing from the drying cloth. At 14″ by 10.5″ by 2.75″, Tofukuji pots of this size are very rare…and consequently, very pricey!

One of the things about this pot that really stands out is the writing on the bottom. This is a numerical catalog code indicating that the pot is formerly of the Takagi collection, now the Takagi museum. Reiji Takagi was a famous collector of both pots and bonsai, as well as other Asian fine art, and his large collection is now a museum in downtown Tokyo, where hundreds of masterpiece bonsai can be viewed on the rooftop garden, while the pottery collection is housed on a lower floor. A nice piece of history to go along with a wonderful pot.

Ogurayama

Posted on March 13, 2012 by japanesepots

Born September 12, 1920, Ogurayama has been making pots as an independent since 1975. He first gained great fame upon his first entry in the Japanese Kobachi Exhibition, in 1981, wherein he took a prize. He’s gone on to win many other prizes in the Kobachi exhibition since. Styles, shapes, and sizes are varied covering all aspects of the potters craft, though his painting work is very much in the Kyoto traditional style. A glance through any Gafu Ten album after 1990 will show you just how popular the better Ogurayama pots are!

Small Dark green Ogurayama with white clay from my collection.

7"x5.5"x1.5 From the Collection of Neil Dellinger

Shohin size Ogurayama with carved and inlaid Dragon, multiple glazes, and detailed feet.

Dark Green-brown glazed pot with white clay and impressed Zelkova leaves.

An interesting glazed pot with carving detail of a flower and a gold overglaze enamel interior of the flower, resembling a crown.

Interesting bright green and yellow glazed pot with butterfly reliefs.

Porcelain pot with a very interesting celadon glaze.

Another very interesting, very thickly glazed dragon pot.

Very nicely detailed Go-Sai(5 colors) painting pot.

Dont quite know what to make of this very oddly and impressionistically overglaze enamel painted pot!

Very Elegant and pretty Sometsuke porcelain.

This very nicely detailed painting pot is from a very famous Japanese painting by Tawaraya Sotatsu, shown below, and features the god of Thunder from the Shinto religion, Raijin, and the god of the winds, Fujin. You see this image, along with Ando Hiroshiges “53 Stations of the Tokaido,”(Where the small sometsuke above originates) repeated over and over on great painted Japanese Bonsai pottery. Its almost a must that great painters paint a few pots with these images.

Nicely painted overglaze enamel piece with a small bird.

Another finely glazed white clay pot with impressed leaves. I really like the color of this glaze!

Hope you enjoyed a few pots from Ogurayama!

Posted in Modern Potters, My Personal Collection | Tagged bonsai pottery, god of the winds, god of thunder, japanese painting, porcelain pot, shinto religion | Leave a comment

From My Collection 9

Posted on February 28, 2012 by japanesepots

In today’s post we’ll take a look at a few more pots from my collection. Its been awhile! Spring has sprung here, so between repotting and spring bonsai work, and working on some articles for Peter Krebs’ excellent website, I have not had a free moment to snap photos or blog. So, in recompense, I’ll be posting 2 posts today and an additional 2 this week. Now on to the pots!

Shunka Shozan, 6"

An awesome pot by Shunka Shozan. Extraordinary thick drippy glaze, wrapped around the bottom and encompassing the feet. Level with clean lines, bottom band, and cut corners. I love this pot, its very Tofukuji-esque! Shozan is a hobby potter, so production is very low, and as a result, theyre hard to find. I first became aware of his work through a pottery exhibition over a year ago, this is the first Ive seen for sale.

Kaga Syouzan, 3.5" by 2.2"

A sometsuke pot by Kaga Syouzan. The painting on this piece is nice and detailed, with good depth and use of negative space, and I love the feet! This pot was featured in a Japanese bonsai pottery book dealing with small pots, as such I suppose it to be one of the better examples of Syouzan’s work.

Ikkou, 6"

A nice shohin Ikkou with a very thick graded blue-green glaze mottled with silver overtones. This looks more like a Ino Shukuho than many other Ikkous Ive encountered.

Kozan, 2.5"

I know little about this potter, but I believe he is from Kyoto, and I do know that this pot is at least 30-40 years old, and characteristic of his work, as the Japanese gallery books feature similar pots by Kozan, with glazed inlay dragons. This style is quite popular in the Kyoto region in Japan, and can also be seen in pieces by ino Shukuho and Ami Akira.

Owari Yuho, 3.5" by 2.5"

A nice little Owari Yuho pot featuring the painted geometrics he is famous for. This pot is early work, and is developing a nice patina.

Itoh Tonyo, 5" by 3"

Porcelain Itoh Tonyo pot with geometric carved center band, bottom band, and lip. Very nice porcelain work, bone white, from Tonyo(brother of Itoh Gekkou, whose marvelous painted pots we’ve seen here in the past).

Ikkou, 5"

And we’ll finish up today’s post with a wonky little Ikkou. While this pot isn’t signed, its obviously an Ikkou from the characteristic Ikkou glaze and clay. This pot was a gift from traveler and bonsai lover Kora Dalager, who many of you may know if youve ever been to Japan on one of Bill Valavanis’s trips. It was purchased from Ikkou directly at the kiln.(thanks Kora!)

Next up: Western Potters in my collection! Thanks for reading!

Posted in Famous and Antique Potters, Modern Potters, My Personal Collection | Tagged bonsai pottery, bottom band, japanese bonsai, japanese gallery, peter krebs, pottery exhibition | Leave a comment

Collection 10:Western Potters

Posted on February 28, 2012 by japanesepots

Just so you readers dont think I’m a one note collector, I’d like to take a post an showcase a few of my favorite pots in my collection by Western potters.

Peter Krebs

A Peter Krebs dragon pot, a relatively new and favorite addition to my collection…had for a song! The motif is classical Chinese, with dragons struggling over or rescuing a pearl. The craftsmanship in Krebs’ pots is first rate, and the level of detail to the carving on this piece is simply outstanding. One look at Mr. Krebs work in person is all it takes to conclude that he is the best western potter working today, on a par with some of the best contemporary Japanese and Chinese potters.

Michael Hagedorn, 14"

Michael Hagedorn, 4"

A couple of pots by Bonsai artist(and former Bonsai Potter) Michael Hagedorn. Really nice work, with well formed details. The large pot is extremely delicate, yet level with no warpage, a sign of a great potter. The Oxblood red glaze on the smaller piece is very nice as well.

Don Gould, 8"

A medium sized round drum pot with rivets from the late Don Gould. I have a few Gould pots, they were chance buys and I have doubts I’ll find them so cheap again. The craftsmanship in Gould’s pots is very nice, clean glazing, and soft lines.

Max Braverman, 8"

A medium round crackle glaze from the late, great Max Braverman. I have a bunch of Max’s pots, but this one is my favorite. Very avant garde and expressionistic.

Nick Lenz, 6" by 4"

Nick Lenz, 6" xby .75"

A couple of pots from great American yamadori collector, bonsai artist, and “crazy old hermit,” Nick Lenz. The flower shape and flecked glaze of the first piece are great, while the sandstone colored clay of the Bunjin style small pot is very nice.

Michelle Dougherty, 6"

A wonderful porcelain crackle glazed round. I have a couple of these, I believe they were made by Michelle Dougherty, but it could be Sara Rayner, the signature looks the same! Either way its a fantastic fine crackle!

Eldon Leis, 12"

A big wonky glazed pot with carved feet by Eldon A. Leis. Leis was a bonsai pioneer in Canada, so this wonky little piece carries a bit of Western bonsai history with it.

Jim Jenigan, 9"

Mustard yellow round by Jim Jenigan. As I understand it, Mr. Jenigan no longer makes bonsai pots, which is a shame, because this is a very nice piece, the only one of his in my collection.

Tom Dimig, 6"

I have a bunch of Dimigs in my collection, but I really love the thick drippy glaze on this one, created for the 1996 BCI convention, if memory serves.

Sara Rayner, 4"

And we’ll finish up with that ubiquitous of American potters, Sara Rayner. Normally Im not a huge fan of Sara’s work, Its just not my taste, but I really like the rustic simplicity of this little mottled blue round.

I hope you enjoyed looking at a few pots from my collection of Western potters! Next post: Ogurayama!

Posted in Modern Potters, My Personal Collection | Tagged classical chinese, crackle glaze, level of detail, peter krebs, potters, warpage | 3 Comments

Bonsai Pottery by Haruyoshi

Posted on January 27, 2012 by japanesepots

In todays feature we’ll have a look at potter Haruyoshi. One of the modern masters of painted porcelain pots, including sometsuke(cobalt blue underglaze), red underglaze, and five color styles of porcelain painting. Along with Gekkou and Fujikake Yuzan, Haruyoshi is one of the most popular potters of painted porcelain bonsai pottery, and his pots are on the rise in value. At between 1/4 to 1/2 the price of a Gekkou or Yuzan, Haruyoshi pots are still relatively inexpensive, and undervalued for the quality.

Haruyoshi, photo Courtesy Yorozuen

A marvelous winter scene! Winter scene pots are rare, which seems strange to me, given that the Gafu and Kokufu exhibitions are held in the dead of winter each year, I would think there would be more! It’s tough to tell from the photo the photo if this pot is overglaze painting or a combination of underglaze enamel and overglaze enamel. The white overglaze of the snow on the Celadon green porcelain is fantastic, and there is some nice detail to the boat and it’s pilots.

Haruyoshi, 3" My Collection

A Small Haruyoshi sometsuke in my collection. When you hold one in your hand, and see them in person, its quite easy to see why they are becoming so popular and fast becoming expensive!

Round with Sometsukelandscape and yellow border. Very nice brush work on such a small piece.

A multi color painted pot with some very nice detail and brush work. Just enough negative space to the left to appear uncluttered.

Small 5 color painted pot, sometsuke bordering. This looks to be a combination of under and overglaze enamel work. The 5 colors(go-sai) were made popular in the Ming dynasty Chinese porcelain pieces, and still continuetot be the most popular in Kutani and other porcelain wares.

Another Go-sai pot with some great detailing and brushwork.

A nice Sometsuke landscape with centered view. Painted bonsai landscape pots will generally have negative space on one side or the other, there to help reinforce the directional movement of the tree. IRilke this pot as it could be used with a tre with movement to the left or right.

A nice red painting with blue border. I love how this cascade pot presents a little cliff side landscape overhanging the river, with it’s semi-cascade black pine.

The above and below pots are two great examples of Haruyoshi glazed pots. In addition to masterful painting, Haruyoshi produces some nice glazed pots with interesting colors. The thick double glaze on the pot below is especially nice.

Haruyoshi, 4" by 2" tall

We’ll finish off with one final glazed pot from Haruyoshi, in my collection. This pot is beginning to show a nice patina, as can be seen from the bottom detail.

Hope you enjoyed the marvelous pots of Haruyoshi, til the next post….Hopefully Ill have a great new collection post soon, as Kokufu is next week!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Bushuan Pots Part 2

Posted on January 26, 2012 by japanesepots

Today’s post we’ll look at a few more pots from Shigeru Fukuda, aka Bushuan, the subject of our last post. In addition to the Bushuan from my collection on my “For Sale” page, all of the pots shown in today’s post are available for sale from Japan, are 5.5-6″, and come with original box and cloth, drop me a line if you’re interested.
It’s very easy to see from these pieces why Bushuan pots are always mentioned in conjunction with Tofukuji. His glazes are unique and spectacular, yet harmonious in the same way. Like Tofukuji, Bushuan began as a hobby potter, was self-taught, and came to pottery as a second career. So many parallels for these two masters of glaze.

Heian Tofukuji

The Tofukuji pot in the thumbnail clearly shows the links and similarity these potters have, the analogy made by so many is most definitely apt! This Bushuan called almost be an homage! The Tofukuji pot is from the collection of Matt Ouwinga, of Kaede Bonsai-En.

Thanks for stopping in to see a few more fantastic pots. I hope you enjoyed seeing them as much as I enjoyed finding them! Tomorrow’s post I’ll be profiling potter and painter Haruyoshi, a modern master of underglaze painting.

UPDATE:12/27
All 5 Bushuan pots pictured have been sold! I still have 1 featured on my “For Sale” page that is available. This guys work moves fast!

Posted in Modern Potters | Tagged bonsai, glazes, homage, parallels, pots, potters | Leave a comment

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