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tokyo trip

updated fri 13 may 05

 

terryh on sun 8 may 05


Just came back from two-week trip to Japan. Brief itenary from my clay trip
there.
1. Spent a lot of time at many department stores, both 5th or 6th floor for
ceramics section and basement food section. Found kobiki was quite popular
this time. Maybe seasonal? Looks good for spring-time food? Hagi-yaki, again
w/ white glaze, was also popular. Not many shinos as last time, a few years
ago. A few Bizen’s. Also visit the ceramic gallery in Mitsukoshi department
store at Nihon-bashi. Kobiki, here also.
2. visit Kasama. About 1hr JR train ride from Ueno station. A very small
town. Rent a bike at the train station. Visit many local pottery shops and
galleries. Spent most of time at Tougei-no-Mori ceramic center and adjacent
Ceramic art Museum. Nerikomi artist, the national living treasure, Matsui
Kousei, was on exhibit at both ceramic center’s main gallery and also at
Ceramic Art Museum. Also a video showing Matsui’s nerikomi process. Didn’t
know he was a Buddhist monk. Also, Yagi Kazuo exhibit at the museum. Being
impressed, I bought a book of his writing. A mistake. His clay object de art
is much easier to communicate.
3. visited Mingei-kan (Folk art museum) at Komaba for “Pottery of Kyushu”
exhibit. Expected to see some agano-yaki and takatori-yaki, both from my
home town. No. nothing from there. Instead, a few from nishijin and noma.
Stunned. Nishijin is the town my shyu-yu-kan high school is located and I
knew the best ramen restaurant and such there. But never heard of nishijin
pottery. Asked my friends. Nobody knew. Amazing. Noma likewise. I lived in
the next town to Noma. And, never heard of noma pottery.
3. visited Shigaraki. Two and a half hr Shinkansen Nozomi ride to Kyoto then
to Ishiyama on Biwako-line. Mr. Hioroyuki Yamada, a young emerging shigaraki
artist was waiting for me at Ishiyama station. (Yamada gave a week long
workshop at Glassel, Houston, this winter.) Shigaraki is indeed a pottery
town. Everything everywhere is about pottery in Shigaraki. Went to Marumi-ya
ceramic store to buy bunch of ceramic tools. Sent them to US by post. I
haven’t received them yet. Visit with Mr. Shiro Otani. Those who know Shiro
personally may know what he is up to. Yet he was in good spirit. Saw many of
his beautiful works displayed at his home.
4. visit Kyoto chawan-zaka (tea bawl hill/alley(?)). And Kyoto national
museum, Kawai Kanjiro’s house, Raku museum, and a few temples, of course,
including Kiyomizu-dera temple. Last time I visited Kyoto was almost 32
years ago. Stayed at a business hotel 5 min. walk from Kyoto station. 5,800
yen a night. Not bad. There is a pottery gallery right next to Kawai’s
house. Talked to the shop owner about Kimura brothers’ pottery work shown
there. Temmokus, Yuteki (oil-spot) and Youhen, are in revival, it appears.
5. visit Goto museum at Kaminoge, for “Tea ceremony pottery” exhibit. A few
famous Raku tea bawls and also another famous shoe-shaped tea bowl. Missed
to visit Senkado-Bunko for the famous Youhen. Both museums are pretty close
from my mother’s home.
6. the latest Japanese clayart magazine “Honoho (Flame)” has a special issue
on Youhen temmoku, showing about 10 japanese potters with their Youhen. Just
amazing. I think the mystery of Youhen appears to be answered by at least
one of them. I have to see his work. The photo of one of his tea bowls looks
just like the national Treasure Youhen tea bowl. His name? Not Kimura. The
magazine and other few books I sent by mail haven't arrived yet.

terry

terry hagiwara
terryh@pdq.net
http://www.geocities.com/terry.hagiwara

Lee Love on thu 12 may 05


terryh wrote:

>Just came back from two-week trip to Japan. Brief itenary from my clay trip
>there.
>1. Spent a lot of time at many department stores, both 5th or 6th floor for
>ceramics section and basement food section. Found kobiki was quite popular
>this time. Maybe seasonal? Looks good for spring-time food? Hagi-yaki, again
>w/ white glaze, was also popular. Not many shinos as last time, a few years
>ago. A few Bizen’s. Also visit the ceramic gallery in Mitsukoshi department
>store at Nihon-bashi. Kobiki, here also.
>2. visit Kasama. About 1hr JR train ride from Ueno station. A very small
>town. Rent a bike at the train station. Visit many local pottery shops and
>galleries. Spent most of time at Tougei-no-Mori ceramic center and adjacent
>Ceramic art Museum. Nerikomi artist, the national living treasure, Matsui
>Kousei, was on exhibit at both ceramic center’s main gallery and also at
>Ceramic Art Museum. Also a video showing Matsui’s nerikomi process. Didn’t
>know he was a Buddhist monk. Also, Yagi Kazuo exhibit at the museum. Being
>impressed, I bought a book of his writing. A mistake. His clay object de art
>is much easier to communicate.
>3. visited Mingei-kan (Folk art museum) at Komaba for “Pottery of Kyushu”
>exhibit. Expected to see some agano-yaki and takatori-yaki, both from my
>home town. No. nothing from there. Instead, a few from nishijin and noma.
>Stunned. Nishijin is the town my shyu-yu-kan high school is located and I
>knew the best ramen restaurant and such there. But never heard of nishijin
>pottery. Asked my friends. Nobody knew. Amazing. Noma likewise. I lived in
>the next town to Noma. And, never heard of noma pottery.
>3. visited Shigaraki. Two and a half hr Shinkansen Nozomi ride to Kyoto then
>to Ishiyama on Biwako-line. Mr. Hioroyuki Yamada, a young emerging shigaraki
>artist was waiting for me at Ishiyama station. (Yamada gave a week long
>workshop at Glassel, Houston, this winter.) Shigaraki is indeed a pottery
>town. Everything everywhere is about pottery in Shigaraki. Went to Marumi-ya
>ceramic store to buy bunch of ceramic tools. Sent them to US by post. I
>haven’t received them yet. Visit with Mr. Shiro Otani. Those who know Shiro
>personally may know what he is up to. Yet he was in good spirit. Saw many of
>his beautiful works displayed at his home.
>4. visit Kyoto chawan-zaka (tea bawl hill/alley(?)). And Kyoto national
>museum, Kawai Kanjiro’s house, Raku museum, and a few temples, of course,
>including Kiyomizu-dera temple. Last time I visited Kyoto was almost 32
>years ago. Stayed at a business hotel 5 min. walk from Kyoto station. 5,800
>yen a night. Not bad. There is a pottery gallery right next to Kawai’s
>house. Talked to the shop owner about Kimura brothers’ pottery work shown
>there. Temmokus, Yuteki (oil-spot) and Youhen, are in revival, it appears.
>5. visit Goto museum at Kaminoge, for “Tea ceremony pottery” exhibit. A few
>famous Raku tea bawls and also another famous shoe-shaped tea bowl. Missed
>to visit Senkado-Bunko for the famous Youhen. Both museums are pretty close
>from my mother’s home.
>6. the latest Japanese clayart magazine “Honoho (Flame)” has a special issue
>on Youhen temmoku, showing about 10 japanese potters with their Youhen. Just
>amazing. I think the mystery of Youhen appears to be answered by at least
>one of them. I have to see his work. The photo of one of his tea bowls looks
>just like the national Treasure Youhen tea bowl. His name? Not Kimura. The
>magazine and other few books I sent by mail haven't arrived yet.
>
>
Is it Koji Kamada? I put a link to his work a while back:
http://hankos.blogspot.com/2005/04/kamada-koji-yuteki-oil-spot-and-yohen.html

and image search:
http://hankos.blogspot.com/2005/04/kamada-koji-google-image-searchlee.html

--
李 Lee Love 大
愛      鱗
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://hankos.blogspot.com/ Visual Bookmarks
http://ikiru.blogspot.com/ Zen and Craft