Information on a bizen yaki/pottery bowl

[BjornLundin]

Hi everyone,

 

I am trying to get more information of this bizen bowl. I purchased it in Okayama in a antique shop for about 10 years ago. I am wondering if anyone has any guess on age? if it is possible tea ceremony type of bowl? Anyone recognize the artist?

 

Dimensions are ~8 cm in height, 21 cm in diameter (upper part).

 

Any clues or guesses is welcomed also

[Viper6924]

Hi Björn!

There are no pictures. Can you try to resending them again.

 

Jan

[BjornLundin]

Strange that the photos did not attach. Hard to say anything without data  Here they are again ^^

 

[ROKUJURO]

Hi Björn,

that is a really nice little bowl! I don't think it was intended to be used in CHA no YU, instead it could have been a 'normal' kitchen item.

Some details speak for an older age (e.g. the inside with the irregular wave design and the ISHIHAZE), but looking at the signature stamp, I get an impression of standard production of household ware, perhaps late 19th/early 20th century.

The stamp shows a YAMA KANJI left hand in the fan-shaped reserve, so it might be an OKAYAMA stamp. The upper stamps possibly represent the kiln or village (IMBE?), but I can't read it.

The bottom of the bowl has some cracks, so it could have been sold as 'B ware' (with small defects) by the kiln.   

[Bugyotsuji]

Above the 陶山 fan-shaped impression it says 備前, Bizen....

Maybe Mori Tozan?

森 陶山 作 「備前徳利」　～備前焼専門卸小売店 川口陶楽苑～ (tourakuen.jp)

 

Quote: 

森 陶山先生は備前焼窯元六姓森家に生まれ、幼い頃からものづくりが好きで陶芸の道に入られました。1957年から父の森 竹山先生に師事し陶技を習い、67年に独立しました。84年春に登り窯、秋に半地下式の穴窯をそれぞれ築窯しました。1969年には日本伝統工芸展に初入選、76年には日本工芸会正会員となられました。1983年伊部大明神に穴窯を築き、古備前の土味と景色の研究をされています。独立以来、全国の百貨店を中心に個展も開催されています。2002年に国の伝統工芸士に認定されました。

[Fuuten]

Additionally, on the circular firing marks on the inside of the bowl.

 

Forgive the crude copy/paste, it's late.

Quote

Botamochi - originally, because space in the kiln was limited, pieces were piled up when fired. The spaces where they touched were discolored, and those parts did not match the style of the rest of the piece. Nowadays, highly fire resistant cracker shaped discs called "bota" are often placed on pieces when firing to intentionally create botamochi patterns.

 

Quote

Senbey(s) is put on pottery. Senbey is a kind of fireproof mud (circular form). In the kiln the temperature is about one thousand three hundred degree when potteries are fired. In spite of a high temperature Senbey never break. After Senbey(s) is put on potteries and then fired in the kiln, Botamochi appears. Botamochi means a kind of Japanese rice cake.

[ROKUJURO]

Yes, there should normally be only three of them in a small item. It is a traditional way (using a kind of fireclay) to prevent the ceramics to stick together in the firing when they were piled up.

BIZEN ware is not glazed and it is raw fired in a NOBORI GAMA - no biscuit firing! Flying wood ash will settle on the items and form a kind of glaze at about 1.300°C as it chemically bonds with the siliceous components of the clay. The longer the firing, the more glaze can develop, also depending where the item was positioned in the kiln.

It is quite difficult to find out the exact age of ceramics. An expert might be able to say more if he has an opportunity to inspect the item close in hand. In addition, there is a  thermo-luminescence method to detect the exact age. That works fine and is reliable, but fakers (especially in China, Mexico and South America) have found a trick to deceive even this precise device. Collectors and museums are often victims of these fakers!