Japanese Celadon
What is Japanese Celadon?
There is a view that when talking about Japanese celadon, Chinese celadon should be used as the standard. This is because it was influenced and learned from Chinese products. This is certainly a self-evident point of view, and is not limited to Japanese ceramics. However, this perspective alone is not sufficient to talk about the history of Japanese celadon. For example, as can be seen from the fact that famous masterpieces remain to this day, celadon has a charm that sets it apart from other things. Here, I would like to briefly introduce the meaning of celadon in modern Japan, tracing its history.
Export pottery from the Meiji period
In the modern era, Japanese ceramics became a major industry. As trade became more active, it attracted attention not only from within Japan but from all over the world. The idea that good and beautiful ceramics have a special sparkle is due to an aesthetic sense influenced by Chinese ceramics, and some art historians give the same evaluation to Japanese export ceramics. Of course, there are still extant pieces from this period.
On the other hand, events such as exhibitions began to be held, and the works entered in these exhibitions became the subject of study for craftspeople. At such events, works by individual artists based on the essence of crafts or aesthetic sensibility other than so-called export goods, as well as collections of crafts, and celadon as works intended for appreciation, began to be exhibited.
Of course, many of the famous surviving pieces are related to this lineage. However, there are only a few of them, both as craft works and as export goods, and few remain in their entirety. This makes it extremely difficult to discuss celadon production at that time. In particular, although there have been discoveries of pre-bisque pieces, these are rarely seen as craft works, which may be one of the reasons for this.
Suwa Sozan and Itaya Hazan
One such person is Suwa Sozan. He was born in Kanazawa, Kaga Province in 1851, and grew up in a family of Kaga feudal lords. He had an unusual career, succeeding the family headship at a young age and learning martial arts in the domain and serving in the military, but later studied ceramic painting under Nindaya Tokuji before seriously pursuing ceramics. Before moving to Kyoto, he was involved in the manufacture and instruction of pottery and bricks in various parts of the Hokuriku region, and visited Seto and Kutani to study ancient art, revealing his vigorous spirit of inquiry.
Around 1876, he established a factory in Oimura and engaged in a wide range of activities, such as inviting Hashimoto Gaho and Kubota Beisen to try making ceramic statues and models. Eventually, he worked as a teacher at Ishikawa Prefectural Industrial School while also working to improve brick manufacturing. He also designed brick kilns and spread his skills in many areas beyond the role of a simple potter.
He moved to Kyoto around 1900, and after improving pottery production at Kinkozan Sobei's factory, he established his own independent kiln in Gojozaka. He studied a variety of styles, including Shichikan Celadon, White Goryeo, Kochi glaze, and Jet Black glaze, and is known for creating the unique color tone known as Torinoko Celadon. He also had a strong side as a researcher and technician, traveling to the Joseon Dynasty to revive the ancient Goryeo kilns, and continuing to provide guidance on the reconstruction of kilns after returning to Japan. In 1917, he became an Imperial Household Artist of the Imperial Household Ministry, and presented his works to the Imperial Family.
Although his style was consistent in his pursuit of realistic and intricate designs, he never engaged in mass production. All of his works have the neat form befitting celadon, and are decorated with rich glazes and intricate carvings. He expressed a wide range of works across genres, such as torinoko celadon, large ceramic statues of Chinese lions and people, and openwork vases with colored glazes. Some of his works have been purchased by Empress Shoken and Fukiage Palace. In an era when export ceramics were the norm, he can be said to be a rare ceramic artist who continued to create unique works with a style that is similar to Ming dynasty celadon.
With this attitude, in his later years, he was involved in the revival of Goryeo kilns in Korea, and devoted himself to kiln firing experiments and research guidance. In his final years, he developed pneumonia and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and passed away in 1922 at over 70 years old, but his works and techniques were passed down to his adopted daughter, the second generation Suwa Sozan, and then to the third and fourth generations. It can be seen that the existence of this artist Suwa Sozan helped to give rise to realistic and sculptural expressions in Japanese celadon production from the Meiji to Taisho periods, which went beyond simple imitation of Chinese styles. As mentioned above, celadon was mainly produced for export from the mid-Meiji period to the early Showa period, but Sozan distinguished himself from mass production and continued to adhere to his own aesthetic sense. This attitude has had a major impact on the Japanese ceramics world in later years.
On the other hand, Itaya Hazan is also spoken of in the same breath as a master of modern celadon. Like Suwa Sozan, he is one of those who sought a path freer from the Chinese style.
Kyoto City Ceramic Testing Laboratory
The Kyoto Municipal Ceramic Testing Laboratory (established in 1909), Japan's first ceramic testing laboratory, is an essential place to talk about the history of modern Japanese ceramics. Here, celadon works were produced that did not merely copy Chinese styles but pursued their own unique beauty.
When talking about celadon, the standard tends to be China, but outside of private manufacturing, this is rather the exception. In other words, celadon was not simply a copy of Chinese style, but was produced based on a unique aesthetic sense.
Another role of the testing center is to attempt to create experimental works. By deliberately changing traditional methods, time periods, and kiln conditions and carrying out a variety of prototypes, the valuable results of research have been passed down to the present day. This research approach allowed young potters at the time to hone their skills, and brought about a major turning point in the development of glazes, such as the transition from ash glazes to feldspar glazes. In fact, despite its short initial period of existence, many excellent works were created at this testing center. After the Showa era began, research into celadon became more serious, and more practical works began to appear. The role that the Kyoto City Ceramics Testing Center played in improving celadon technology in Japan is immeasurable.
Creative Celadon and Mineo Okabe
Then, Okabe Mineo appeared as an artist who symbolized a major shift in Japanese aesthetic sense. It can be said that the movement to position celadon as the work of individual artists in Japan began in earnest after the work of Okabe Mineo was highly praised. Okabe did not only have the reproduction of Chinese porcelain in mind from the beginning, but also created his own unique celadon by applying his own ingenuity to firing methods, combinations of base materials, and glaze mixtures.
The attitude of someone like Itaya Hanzan, who was not bound by Chinese traditions and instead pursued his own aesthetic sense to create a work of art, was rather rare in modern times. The reason Okabe's work particularly strikes a chord with Japanese people is that he transcends the opinions of others and pursues his own "personal beauty" within himself. In other words, if he had been more conscious of modeling his work on Chinese celadon, such original celadon may not have been created.
Uichi Shimizu and Kohei Miura
Alongside Okabe Mineo, Shimizu Uichi and Miura Koheiji are two of the most representative postwar celadon artists. Both are known for having been designated Living National Treasures, and the reason for this is that they inherited the traditional style of celadon while creating new works in line with the aesthetic sense of their time. If Okabe takes the ultimate in "private beauty," Shimizu and Miura's celadon works can be said to be works based on "publicness" that directly embrace the context of crafts. Shimizu Uichi, who trained at Gojozaka, has experimented with many types of pottery, including tea ware, through thorough technical training, and has attracted many fans with his celadon works, which feature neat and modest decoration.
On the other hand, Koheiji Miura, from Sado, Niigata Prefecture, is an artist who has continued to focus on the accidental changes that occur during firing while making use of the depth of celadon glaze. In celadon, which tends to be biased towards "style" and "homogeneity," he enjoyed the subtle expressions created by the flow of the glaze, elevating it to a state that could be called poetic. It can be said that he was a rare talent who went beyond his own aesthetic sense and expressed himself through the medium of celadon.
Modern Celadon and Its Enjoyment
One example of the attention to detail given by contemporary celadon artists is the distinction between "celadon" and "celadon." In order to distinguish it from "celadon," which has long been associated with a Chinese context, it is not rare to see them use the term "celadon." The reason they pay such attention to the distinction between the two words is probably because of their strong awareness and consciousness of their work as a contemporary craft.
Since Mineo Okabe, the Japanese have moved away from the fixed idea that "celadon = blue porcelain," and have begun to experiment with a variety of previously unseen expressions, such as deep blue, white, and greenish hues. Building on that path, contemporary artists continue to challenge themselves with new techniques and glaze expressions. As a result, celadon techniques have become more refined, and celadon works have become more prominent in ceramic art than ever before.
In terms of uses, ceramics are no longer just for decoration, but are now made for practical use. The trend of using celadon for teapots and tea utensils for green tea has been particularly popular in recent years, and the trend of enjoying using ceramics rather than displaying them has taken hold.
It is increasingly being used as tableware in traditional Japanese restaurants, proposing a modern lifestyle that makes the most of the beauty of the glaze and the neat form. The low base and the upright shape of the rim provide a good balance when serving food, and are also highly regarded for their practicality.
The more you actually hold, use and look at a celadon piece, the more you realize that each piece is unique and precious. Even if the glaze does not flow well or the shape is slightly distorted on the potter's wheel, the artist's unique beauty emerges. As well as being a vessel, each piece is a work of art. This is the great power and charm of celadon.
One could say that the freedom to change one's expression into one's own, without being bound by a certain style, is something that is unique to celadon. Celadon gives new realizations about the limitations that tend to arise from striving for perfection too much. It is such a mysterious material that makes you want to challenge yourself again and again.
Many contemporary celadon artists are free to create without being bound by a single style. Behind this lies the existence of predecessors such as Okabe Mineo, Shimizu Uichi, and Miura Koheiji. Celadon is no longer a special genre, but is widely recognized as one of the means of expressing pottery. The value of beauty can also change depending on the difference in the expression created by the form. In the end, what is required now may be to trust one's own sensibility and face celadon freely.
Suwa Sozan – High-end pottery specialty store [Amagi-michi]
Masao Tagai – High-end pottery specialty store [Amagi-do]
Flower vase celadon (shinogi) by Takahashi Michihachi – High-end pottery specialty store [Amagi-do]