Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog

Kyogoku Shihou

Posted on May 11, 2012 by japanesepots

Todays post we’ll take a look at a few painted pots of Kyogoku Shihou.
While this is only a small selection of 4 of Shihou’s pots, I think they’re representative of the artist’s work, which is really varied.

A five color pot with horses. Super bright coloration! The scenery and details really pop, like a Disney cartoon.

Sometsuke pot with really nice detail and brushwork.

A small red painted pot with very fine line brushwork.

A more impressionistic five color pot than the first.
UPDATE
Here are a few more pots from Shiho.

A nicely painted dragon in 5 colors on a quince shape pot. I like the wild feeling of this painting.

Blue landscape in window with 5 color flower borders. Really bright painting surrounds the window.

A simple sometsuke rectangle with fine brushwork.

Unglazed reddish brown clay with inset sometsuke landscape windows. Nice detail to the landscapes, and clean edges to the windows. Very nice finish to the unglazed pot as well.

And we’ll finish up with another impressionistic landscape in 5 colors. Bold colors and interestingly fuzzy brushwork create a cartoonish landscape on this slightly wonky pot.
Thanks for reading and Stay tuned!
I’ll be listing great pots For sale tomorrow, and also Tomorrow I’ll be finishing up a post on The Tsukinowas! Tsukinowa Yusen is probably the greatest painter who specialized in Bonsai pottery in the history of the art, and we’ll take a look at his pots, as well as pots by Tsukinowa Shunseki, his son, who was a good painter in the shadow of the greatest, and His grandson, Tsukinowa Shousen, who is truly carrying on his grandfathers work with awesome paintings, great porcelain work, and forgery proof accoutrements(too cool and unfortunately too necessary!!!).

Posted in Modern Potters | 1 Comment

Echizen Hosui

Posted on May 1, 2012 by japanesepots

Echizen Hosui is relatively unknown potter here in the west, and deserves more recognition. He is an excellent painter, and his glazed pots deserve mention as well.
Born Zenzo Yoshida in 1936 in Fukui Prefecture, he began making Bonsai pottery under the name Echizen Hosui(越前芳水) in 1974. His work is varied, including painted pots, glazed and unglazed pots, and some interesting slabs and artificial stones.

A great 5 color painted rectangle in my collection. Bright colors and very nice brushwork make for a fantastic pot.

Another from my collection, a deep metallic green over white clay. There is a small kamakizu(kiln crack) at the right foot, but it’s beautiful despite this “flaw.”

Also in my collection, this is a good example of Hosui’s red painted pots. I really love the detail of the pine on the left and the mountain in the background. Good use of negative space also, with clear direction.

The last of my collection. This Hosui is early work, mid to late 1970s, and is a copy of a Tofukuji pot.

A great 5-color pot in clear homage to Tsukinowa Yusen, that I found for sale from Kinbon. I love the detail in this pot, and the shape is great.

A sometsuke round pot. Interesting brush work and detail to the stand of pines in the foreground.

A nice simple round with a boat, I like the rim detail and detail to the boat.

A 5-color window painted pot with very nice brushwork and details. Great use of perspective and depth, the river winds away into the background perfectly!

A glazed piece. I love the thick drips!

Two nice crackle glazed pieces.

A pair of hand formed slabs in imitation of famous Kurama stones.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the pots of Echizen Hosui. If you’re interested, two of the pots in today’s post are up on the For Sale page!

Posted in Modern Potters, My Personal Collection | 2 Comments

Awesome Bushuan!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by japanesepots

I managed to pick up this Bushuan, Shigeru Fukuda, yesterday, and wanted to share. At 9″, it is much larger than most of the other pots I’ve seen by him, and I think it could easily be considered some of his best work. The lovely wraparound glaze, and marvelous drippy glaze over that, are truly masterful. A wonderful mix of deep blues and greens. The feet and unique drainage holes are cool as well.

Posted in Modern Potters, My Personal Collection | 6 Comments

5/3! New on The For Sale page!

Posted on April 27, 2012 by japanesepots

New pots and trees up on the For Sale page! If you look at the Menu bar above this post, it’s up there. I’ll be adding them all week, so check back!
Some of what’s up now:

Bigei!

Awesome Hosui!

Kamiya Ryuens! 4!

Middle crossing Chinese!

Posted in Famous and Antique Potters, Modern Potters, My Personal Collection, Trees | Leave a comment

Initial Styling of Two Shimpaku and a Maple

Posted on April 25, 2012 by japanesepots

This past Sunday I drove up to Memphis with a backseat full of trees for a one on one day with artist Bjorn Bjorholm. Bjorn recently returned from Japan where he is at Fujikawa Kouka-en. If you haven’t checked out his “Bonsai Art Of Japan” video series, do, they’re awesome and very informative. I can’t say enough nice things about Bjorn. He’s very professional and an excellent teacher, willing to share knowledge and non-judgemental(which is a huge plus for novices like myself!).
He, along with the master from Fujikawa Kouka-en, will be two of the headliners at this years Rendezvous at Brussels. If you have the chance to work with Bjorn, jump on it!

Itoigawa Shimpaku before work. Super tough material. Gigantic old trunk, but very tough to see the deadwood and great twisting live veins and Shari.

After work with Bjorn and yesterday alone working on the deadwood and hollowing out the punky deadwood on the Shari to the left. No matter what front was chosen, it was clear from the get go that this was going to be an unusually styled tree! The branch crossing the trunk in the middle will be replaced by a smaller branch from the rear in the future, after the foliage increases and it’s safe to jin it. That entire area will become a deadwood feature on the trunk. A good start for difficult material!

A twisty Kishu Shimpaku. This is the before. Much easier material!

And the after. Bjorn saw two options for the tree, a semi-cascade where the surface roots would eventually become a deadwood feature, or this more upright style that I liked better. The plan from here is increasing and pushing back the foliage on the right for a more compact tree, and slowly increasing the Shari to show a bit more deadwood.

This mountain maple is obviously pretty old, but the super heavy bar branches in the center and the heavy branches in the apex suck! Time for a change, so I brought it along for some confirmation for what I wanted to do.

And heres the after from the new front. I was planning more or less on removing all the branches and starting from scratch, instead, some were left as bases for the new branches and I ended up with more than I would have left! That big branch to the rear lower right will be removed around midsummer after the tree grows strongly from buds farther back along the branch, and the base will become a back branch, hopefully it will grow strongly enough this summer to do some initial wiring of the new branches!

I hope you enjoyed reading the post! Sign up for a workshop with Bjorn at this years Rendezvous if you haven’t already! He’s a real joy to work with!

Posted in My Personal Collection, Trees | 1 Comment

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.

Posted in Famous and Antique Potters, Pot Info, ID, Hanko, Books, ect. | 1 Comment

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 | 1 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 | 11 Comments

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Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog

Kyogoku Shihou

Echizen Hosui

Awesome Bushuan!

5/3! New on The For Sale page!

Initial Styling of Two Shimpaku and a Maple

Local Show

Takagi Collection Tofukuji

Ogurayama

From My Collection 9

Collection 10:Western Potters

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