A conversation with Rakusai Onishi

Today I am visiting Onishi Rakusai (Akahada ware Kohakugama) in Koriyama, Nara Prefecture.
We asked him for more details about his work.

[Bisai] → Mr. Rakusai Bisai [Nishimura] → Ichimai Nishimura, Owner of Amagimichi

(Wawari-wood tea bowl)

[Nishimura] This piece is very interesting. It was made without any glaze on the outside.

[Onishi] It is typical of Akahada ware, with the outside fired and the inside glazed, combining two techniques.

[Nishimura] It's interesting that there are two different techniques for one piece of pottery.

(Iron-glazed split-wood tea bowl)

[Onishi] This one is easier to drink from if you tilt it 45 degrees to the right. In other words, it's easier to drink from if you turn it as shown in the picture. This pattern was carved out after the split red pine was hammered into the wood. The shape can be created in one minute, but carving it out takes time.

[Nishimura] That's interesting. I thought the patterns were created by rubbing.

[Onishi] Because he's slamming it in, he has momentum in the straights.



[Nishimura] Is this intended for actual burning?

[Onishi] That's right.

[Nishimura] Does this wood burn well?

[Onishi] Conifers burn well. Tightly packed oak trees are hard and burn slowly. Cedar, cypress, and pine burn well, so they are easy to raise the temperature.



(Ash glaze bamboo tea bowl)

[Onishi] If you use straw ash and fire it using the oxidation method, it will turn out like this. There is a method called "drawer" where you can pinch the piece with scissors and take it out while it is baking.

[Nishimura] For example, Raku tea bowls.

[Onishi] Yes, there are scissors marks on this too.

[Nishimura] Is it cooled instantly?

[Onishi] I don't cool it. This shape is good. The shape of the bamboo joints is perfect. A normal tea bowl would not be good at all. It would give a cold impression.

[Nishimura] The amber color and elegant feel of the glaze are beautiful.

(Hoju Tawarade tea bowl)

[Nishimura] This is also rare.

[Onishi] Tawarade tea bowls have been around for a long time in Akahada. This has two measuring cups at the bottom, which symbolize "increasing prosperity."

[Nishimura] That's interesting. It's fun to use at any time of the year, like New Year's. It will brighten up any place you take it.

[Onishi] The way the bales are carved here is different from the others. After carving a large area, thin lines are added, creating a sense of rhythm that is rare.

[Nishimura] I see.


(Fuji tea bowl)

[Nishimura] This view of Mount Fuji is also interesting.

[Onishi] The color of the clay is white, but only the edges of the glaze turn red. This color is used to express autumn leaves or persimmons. The clay turns red depending on the amount of iron, or turns white when there is less iron. This is a technique that my grandfather came up with.

[Nishimura] It's an elegant color that you will never get tired of.


(Yakushiji East Pagoda Tea Bowl)

[Nishimura] First of all, what kind of glaze is iron glaze?

[Onishi] It's iron oxide. If ash falls on it, it won't turn completely black. Also, the glaze will run off and the base will show. The iron glaze and ash mix together and turn brown.

[Nishimura] Are you aiming for a reducing effect?

[Onishi] That's right. We can't bake here, so we bake in a small kiln in Totsukawa Village. We bake in a friend's kiln. We take turns baking a few times a year, helping each other out. Once we light the fire, it lasts for about three days.

(Yakushiji Temple East Pagoda Foundation Clay, Yakushiji Temple Scenery Tea Bowl)

(Soil from the base of the East Pagoda of Yakushiji Temple)

[Nishimura] This was made using the precious soil from Yakushiji Temple.

[Onishi] This is an electric kettle, and I've drawn Yakushiji Temple. In the background of the Yakushiji Temple scene is Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Yakushiji Temple, and Kofukuji Temple are all related. There is a sacred rope on top of the main hall of Yakushiji Temple. Because there is a connection, I drew that.

[Nishimura] I have the impression that Nara pottery has generous paintings. I think it's called Yamato-e (Nara-e). Also, there are many benefits to firing Nara-e in an electric kettle because it doesn't get covered in ash.

[Onishi] After the Meiji period, as the number of women attending tea increased, people began to prefer items with paintings.

[Nishimura] There are many Nara-like elements everywhere, and it's definitely worth seeing.

[Onishi] Yes, that's right. The sake cups are made from clay from Yakushiji Temple, and this shape is the most popular. It is shaped like the teppachi used in begging bowls.

(Iron bowl sake cup, made from the foundation soil of the East Pagoda of Yakushiji Temple)

[Nishimura] There are some sake cup collectors.

[Onishi] Yes, there are people who carry them around in a drawstring bag.

[Nishimura] Tea caddies come with a bag attached, but with sake cups you have to make the bag yourself, so it's something of a craftsmanship.


(Crane-necked vase with ears)

[Onishi] I think it's best not to worry too much about the design of this vase, so I've had Yamamura Goryu use it in a variety of ways. I think it's to Yamamura's taste. He prefers a vase with a mouth that is somewhat thick.

[Nishimura] It has other uses besides as a vase.

[Onishi] Yes, that's true. Some people keep them as decorative vases. If you use them as vases, you can put leftover flowers in them.

[Nishimura] My impression was that the Yamamura School was a school that specialized in single-flower vases.

[Onishi] There are some that use mother-of-pearl, but it is difficult to arrange flowers in them. It is difficult to get the right reflection in a vase. It is not like the smooth Western vase, and when you put flowers in it, the expression changes surprisingly.


(At the workshop)

[Nishimura] Do you usually create your work here?

[Onishi] That's right. I'm making something like this right now. It's a paperweight. I got an order from a temple.

[Nishimura] Speaking of Nara, they are known for their ink and brushes.

[Onishi] The request came from Enshoji.

[Nishimura] Ah, Enshoji Temple, that's the last temple that Yukio Mishima doesn't visit in "The Sea of ​​Fertility."


(Takes out tea caddy)

[Onishi] At first glance, it looks like Bizen ware, but this is a deer antler from Nara Park.

[Nishimura] Deer antlers are rare.

[Onishi] The cover has a wisteria pattern from Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

[Nishimura] It's interesting that you used deer antlers instead of ivory. Changing the subject a bit, how many Akahada ware makers are still left in Nara?

[Onishi] There are only seven places that make Akahada yaki.

[Nishimura] The Six Ancient Kilns is a well-known term, but how did Akahada ware begin?

[Onishi] It is said that it was commissioned by Toyotomi Hidenaga, the younger brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

[Nishimura] I see, so your main products are tea ceremony pottery. Are you still collecting clay?

[Onishi] There is very little Akahada soil that is low in iron.

[Nishimura] Was the soil in the Yakushiji East Pagoda good enough for the first time in a while?

[Onishi] Because it has a lot of iron, it has low fire resistance. It easily warps when baked at high temperatures.

[Nishimura] I see, it's interesting that pottery using such precious soil has been produced since 2006. Do many people purchase new matcha bowls?

[Onishi] It's a difficult problem because tea and flower arts are effectively in decline.

[Nishimura] I guess that's true.

[Onishi] The term "bride training" has become obsolete.

[Nishimura] That's true. Still, I think there are occasions when people want to display flowers, and I imagine there are many people looking for flower vases.

[Onishi] That's right. That's why it stands out. People who are good at writing stand out.

[Nishimura] That's true. I think it stands out because there are fewer of them.

(A work from the Akahada ware Kohakugama kiln, dedicated to the Emperor by Kasuga Taisha Shrine)

Onishi Rakusai counts Onishi Tokuzo (1820-1871) as its first generation. The name Rakusai also began when Yasukichi, the second generation of the Onishi family, was given the name "Kohakugama Rakusai" by the Yanagisawa family in the Meiji era. Onishi, who we spoke to this time, was given the name "Kasuga Otokishi" by Kasuga Taisha Shrine. This is because he gives Kumo-do pottery to all the relatives who gather at weddings. It is intended to be taken home and used for New Year's and other occasions. The pattern on Kumo-do pottery, or "Donga", represents beautiful clouds shaped like flowers. This Kumo-do pottery has a Donga in the middle, and when sake is poured into it, it looks like it is floating. This is called Donga-yaki, and a cup with a Donga-do pottery in the middle is called Kumo-do pottery. Until before the war, Kumo-do pottery was always used for the Sansan-ku-do ceremony and other auspicious occasions during the New Year. Kumo-do pottery is not currently sold to the general public. Kumo-do pottery is the only one in the country that can be made at Onishi's kiln. It is unusual to finish the bisque firing and then thoroughly polish the ware, even though it would be easier to do a final firing. The characteristic of Akahada ware is the freedom of the kiln, where anything can be made without restrictions. Nara paintings are certainly distinctive, but they are only one of the characteristics of the diverse pottery of Nara. Japanese crafts have their roots in Nara, and Akahada ware, which originated as tea ware, requires the skill to make anything.