Awesome Patina, Ichiyo Pot(update 12/16)

Posted on November 30, 2011 by japanesepots

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A recent and favorite addition to my collection. An old much used white glazed rectangle by Sansyu Ichiyo. The patina on this pot is marvelous. Measures 8.5 by 4.75 by 1.75 inches. I have no idea of the age, as I have little information about the life of Ichiyo, but it must be very old, I’ve only seen Chinese and Japanese antique pots with similiar patinas.

Post update 12/16:
Since I got this pot, I have become more and more interested in Ichiyo pots the more I stare at it! So when inquiring about acquiring a few more, I got some additional information about the potter from the great folks at Yorozuen, who say that Sansyu Ichiyo was from Aichi and lived from 1902-1985. He was a self taught potter, and his work is very diverse, but he is especially known for his Suiban. He has many fans in the contemporary bonsai pottery world including “Gekko”,”Tosui”,”Tonyo”,” and “Hokusai.”.
Thanks very much to Fukano and Yorozuen for the information!

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Bonsai Pots By Satomi Terahata

Posted on November 30, 2011 by japanesepots

Satomi Terahata is one of the lessor known bonsai potters of the modern era, but his glazes are unique and rich, so after a discussion on The Bonsai Study Group forum, I felt a little more exposure of this great modern potter would be nice.

From my collection, a brilliant blue crackle


From my collection, An interesting long tray style

From my collection, a rich green oval

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A Very Cool Ikkou, A Tofukuji Homage

Posted on November 15, 2011 by japanesepots

In todays blog Id like to show an Ikkou pot from my collection.  This Ikkou is a copy of an old Tofukuji pot, created to commemorate a prize at the 70th Kokofu Ten.  You can read more about these pots on the excellent Bonsai Club blog here in Japanese.

http://ssbin.blog.shinobi.jp/Entry/609/

Ikkou copy of Tofukuji pot

Sign and Seal and Prize Description

Original Tofukuji

Another Ikkou Copy and Original Tofukuji, right,

 

 

 

 

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Seedlings for Bonsai

Posted on November 14, 2011 by japanesepots

I do not generally schill here on the blog, but I just got my batch of fall seedling stock in from Matt Ouwinga at Kaede Bonsai-en, and I can’t recommend him enough! Some of the varieties are in short supply, so I recommend you get on it now!
Use the promo code “bonsai” and get 20% off!
http://kaedebonsai.com/shop/category/seedling/

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Pots By Kamiya Ryuen

Posted on November 9, 2011 by japanesepots

Kamiya Ryuen was born September 18, 1929 in Tokyo, the son of a temple carpenter and sculptor.  He began creating pots for bonsai in the mid 1970s.  Nearly all Ryuen pots are carved from a single block of clay.  This process of hand carving a pot is infinitely more time consuming than wheel, slab, or mold production, but results in a much higher quality pot that is more resistant to breakage.

Small details like carving to the bottom of the pot, banded junctions, and unique shapes make Ryuen pots stand above other unglazed potters of his generation.  Note the lack of join unions around the feet in the following pics, a sign of being sculpted from single blocks of clay.

Thanks to Matt Ouwinga for taking the time to snap these photos for me.

Ryuen with cloud feet

 

Smaller Ryuen With Cloud Feet

 

Ryuen Round with cloud feet and incised lip

Rectangle Ryuen with lightly sloping sides

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for having a look at a few pots by Kamiya Ryuen, Ill be doing a couple more posts on Ryuen when I get time to take and sort through some pictures.

 

 

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From My Collection 5

Posted on November 9, 2011 by japanesepots

A few more pots from my personal collection for your enjoyment.

Antique Chinese, New Crossing

Patina Close Up

Antique Chinese, Red Clay with cut corners and large lip. This pot has a marvelous patina, the “water gloss” of very old unglazed pots, which makes them feel greasy or slick to the touch.   I date this pot somewhere around 1920, as it’s a new-crossing pot(Shin-watari) it was made between 1911 and 1940.

Suzuki Syuzan

Suzuki Syuzan, gray clay with cut feet and rounded corners.
One of my favorite makers of unglazed pots, I’ll be doing a full post on Syuzan sometime in the near future. One of the most popular Japanese potters for Kokofu level conifers.

Old, and large, Hokido in an antique mirror shape. Hokido is One of my favorite makers of unglazed pots from the Tokoname region. Smaller Hokido are easy to find and relatively inexpensive for the quality, larger ones like this 15″ Note the color of the clay and the patina, it’s easy to see how his pots were confused with old Chinese pots when they first hit the market.

Aiba Kouyo

Three of my favorites from my collection of Kouyo pots. I love the center lotus shape, but it’s tough to imagine what could go in it! Perhaps an Umemodoki(Winterberry).
The green with silver and blue accents and the red with silver accents have both started to develop nice patina.

Tani Ranzan

Mame, sometsuke, and matched Suiban by Tani Ranzan, all with custom Kiri Bako and stamped Turmeric fabric.
I love the feet on the center sometsuke pot, delicate and uniquely shaped. The tiny Suiban set are interesting as well, the painted one brings to mind Alex Gray.

Ikkou

Old Watanabe Kazuhiro cream glazed oval with a marvelous patina. This pot was originally an off white to cream, the dignity of age has darkened it quite a bit.

Akatsuki

A very old Akatsuki pot, dyed with a forest scene in black.  I’m really guessing on the color of the original painting, its tough to tell given the darkness of the patina.  Another pot that was originally off white or cream, now completely brownish yellow.

I hope you’ve enjoyed perusing these few pots from my collection, I’ll be posting up the first of three posts on Kamiya Ryuen later this evening.

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Root Display Stand For Sale

Posted on October 28, 2011 by japanesepots

Update, 12/11/2011…Sold!
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Hello all! Sorry for the excessively long wait for a New post! Its been a month since you heard from me, and I promise I’ll make up for it by posting a couple of times a week This month!
Up first, Ive spotted some pots I just have to have, so I’m posting this marvelous Japanese Neshoku up on eBay. Way less than it’s worth, super high quality…perfect for a Nice display next June at National Exhibition!

You can find the eBay page here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300617813324
Keep an eye on my eBay site, I’ll be listing more stands and a BUNCH of pots in the coming weeks!

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Pots by Okatani Zeshin 2

Posted on August 19, 2011 by japanesepots

Here are a few more pots for your consideration by Yokohama guild master craftsman Okatani Zeshin, enjoy.  Thanks to friend and fellow collector Matt Ouwinga for taking the time to take these photos for us.

A fascinating pot with Demon feet.  If you glance back at the “From My Collection 3” post, the mame pot by Sekishin has very similar feet, unsurprising since he is one of the many potters who learned from Zeshin.

 

A Great pot with multiple Hankos and carved monks.  I especially like the glaze on this pot, the way it bleeds into the unglazed, carved portion is great.

 

 

One of my favorite Zeshins.  the demons carved on either side are great and detailed, downright scary!  The glaze is masterful as well, rich blended colors with depth and great drip detail.

 

I like the glaze on this one as well, the red glazed crab stands in stark contrast to the blues of the main glaze.

 

A nice little cascade, perhaps a bit more usable than other Zeshins….

 

Another great little demon pot!

 

 

 

This one is unique.  The way the carving is presented in the jagged window is strange, I almost expect it to say “Pow!” or “Bang!” Batman style.

 

A great little crab pot with cool glaze effects.  As you can see from these posts, Zeshin was a master at blending glazed and unglazed carving.  I wish he made more pots that were simply glazed, his colors are rich and deep, also unique.  I have the only simply glazed one I know of, with detailed carvings restricted to the bottom, Ill pop that up in a future post.

I Hope you’ve enjoyed this second selection of pots from Okatani Zeshin.  The next potter I’ll be featuring on the blog will be a master of unglazed pots, Kamiya Ryuen, Stay Tuned.

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A Very Special Pot

Posted on August 9, 2011 by japanesepots

I acquired this pot for a friend who was looking for something really nice for a wonderful semi cascade Shinpaku, and in the process learned some marvelous information I thought would be great to share.
This pot was made by the third Ueda Naokata (if you haven’t heard of him, don’t fret, neither had I), a very highly respected potter from a very highly respected pottery family of Shigaraki.
The third Naokata was born in 1898, and while previous generations focused on teapots and cups, he was the first of his family line to make Bonsai pots. His surviving Bonsai pottery is exceedingly rare and precious, almost never seen.
What I found most interesting about this potter is his apparent influence on the work of Heian Tofukuji. Tofukuji imitated the works of Naokata, and it is said that he learned the “Tebineri” method of pottery from him. I think a simple glance at this pot by anyone familiar with the pots of Tofukuji confirms this. A fascinating piece of Bonsai pottery history.
Note the marvelous pear skin clay, and the delicately thin walled construction. The finger indentations from hand formed twisting technique are clearly seen on the inside. The feet are nicely carved and level. A fantastic pot.

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Posted in Famous and Antique Potters | 3 Comments

From my Collection 4

Posted on August 9, 2011 by japanesepots

Here are a few more interesting pots from my collection I’d like to share. All are from very famous potters, some of whom I’ve shown before.

Itou Gekkou, 6" by 5" by 1.5"

 

An Oval Sometsuke pot by Itou Gekkou. One of my favorite painters of bonsai pots, Gekkou pots, along with pots by Yusen and Yuzan, are some of the most popular and sought after painting pots for show in Japan. One of my favorite pots in my collection right now, I’ve commissioned a Kiri Bako for the pot from master woodworker and bonsai and suiseki enthusiast Jerry Braswell. You can find his site with ordering information and examples of his work here:
http://artofthedaiza.wordpress.com/

Heian Tofukuji Jr. 5.5"

 

A rectangular pot with cut feet by Heian Tofukuji Jr. I really like the glaze on this pot, it’s a glaze I haven’t seen in his father’s work, making it a Tofukuji Jr original.

Imaoka Machinao, 4"

A small rectangle with pear skin clay by Machinao Imaoka. Imaoka makes some of the nicest and most unique Mame and shohin pots around, and they’re relatively inexpensive.

Joshu Shouzan. 6" square by 1"

A very well made and painted square by Joshu Shouzan. I really like the detail of the painting, as well as the fine detail of the rim and bottom.

Akatsuki, 3"

A small circle by Akatsuki. The patina on this pot, over the slight crackle glaze, is unreal. A very nice little Mame or accent pot.

Matsumoto Matsuishi, 5" by 4" by 1.5"

An interesting and spartan painting by Matsuishi.  I like the reserved use of detail, and negative space.  The back set feet also create an airy feeling.

Thanks for checking out a few more from my collection.  In the next post I have a very special pot to showcase from a potter I’d never heard of until last week, with a very unique story and history.

Posted in Famous and Antique Potters, My Personal Collection | 5 Comments