Bizen ware

Since the sueki period in which it has its origins, the historical fortunes
of Bizen ware have fluctuated wildly, with soaring highs and terrible lows. On
the other hand, whereas many other famous production areas failed, Bizen
refused to give up. It is now possible to view Bizen ware as the exception that
stubbornly survived. Purely by having the longest history, these products clearly
reflect the rises and falls moving in line with each period.  

Having been concerned with cultural assets for many years, I can say with confidence that “it is the era that creates the object; the object is definitely not created by the creator.” From that point of view, I would like to demonstrate the essence of Bizen ware.

The characteristics of Bizen ware are “strength” and “freedom,” “warmhearted-ness,” “purity,” “subtlety,” and “toughness.” So, where have these qualities come from? These things have surely been etched into the Bizen ware as it experienced each repeated twist of fate, from apex to nadir. Although the “strength” characteristic can be understood by looking at the large jars in which Bizen has an undisputed lead, that is not the whole story. Not only did the Sabukaze kiln, which was active eariler in the Asuka Hakuho Era, share the nationwide market with only the Sanage kiln, with whiter beautiful Sué ware, it also had an undisputed lead in large items such as shibe ornamental ridge-end tiles and commodes.

By “freedom,” I mean that the pot is not constrained to a particular use or for use at one particular time, but can sit quietly forgotten in the corner of the kitchen and then, when suddenly called upon for an important tea ceremony, be the perfect item for that occasion. 　

The charming “warm heartedness” of Bizen ware is visible in an immediately accessible o-azuke tokkuri sake bottle that has no decoration at all but fits into the palm of the hand and is deeply cherished.

By “purity,” I mean that the potter’s work, of course, ends when the pot is put into the kiln, and the latter half of the process is left completely in the lap of the gods, as emergence is patiently awaited of the pot clad in clothes seared on by the dancing flames. Surely no other potters have such a happy lot as the potters of Bizen.

Without “subtlety,” it is impossible to, for example, provide limitless drama in the world of appreciation, in tune with the heart of someone with subtlety. Also, the beauty of the hidasuki crimson-streaked pots resembling the living skin of a woman wearing rouge is unequalled among the medieval kilns. 　

“Toughness,” as you already know, is the quality of always bouncing back stronger from any crisis. These crises were not military battles, but rather the kind of things that are demanded of many ordinary people, such as responding to the demands of the era.

In response to events, Bizen ware sometimes naturally has a demeanor full of confidence and at other times it lacks all confidence and shows its worst, confused demeanor. Because the spirit of the age is projected directly onto the object, anyone who has the heart to appreciate it will surely be touched by the essential qualities a human being should have. It seems to me that, when one is tired with daily life, there is nothing else nearby that so closely resonates with oneself, teaching more about human life than a book of philosophy, in a simple way that transcends its age.

 It is not just any of the individual works by master potter Isezaki Jun that mysteriously conveys the aforementioned “essential traditional characteristics of Bizen.” If we look at his works as a whole too, surely there is no other potter who preserves the characteristics of Bizen to the same extent in his or her works. I feel that if you stroll through Isezaki’s world and look at it, you will instinctively be able to understand the essence of Bizen ware. When historical events are left behind within the culture of each era, it is in a state of ferment between inevitably conflicting objects and, at the end of the fight, it has a completely different “radiance.” That is perhaps the newly emerging “culture” of that era. What is more, the new radiance nourishes the next generation and, classifiable as neither body nor spirit, it bolsters the life of the next generation as genetic material. 

It is mysterious that there are no other potters that have exuded these characteristics at an unconscious level into all their works to the extent that Dr. Isezaki has. I am aware that, while the characteristics of Bizen ware are usually within any given pot, it is of course extraordinary for them to be found in a whole body of work. Please do take a look. Anyone should be able to see, within Bizen ware, the essential quality arising from long connection with the era. I am certain that you will feel a charm in Bizen ware differing from those of the past. That new charm is surely a sublime radiance shining because the history of ceramics is like a backbone across the world of pottery, unchanging, despite one interruption, from ancient times to the modern world. I have no doubt that this is how an everlasting Bizen tradition is born.

The gentleness of the soft color tones combined with the black speckles and faint gradations from reddish to pale white give an air of delicacy and mystery.