Ash-glazed beveled vase by Rakusai Onishi

Width: 7.0cm Height: 16.7cm

Introduction

The "Ash Glazed Beveled Vase" by Onishi Rakusai is a masterpiece that perfectly blends classical techniques with modern sensibilities. This vase is made using beveled techniques to create a polyhedral shape, and its unique feature is that you can enjoy different expressions depending on the angle from which you view it. The appeal is that the color changes just by changing how it is placed, making it feel like a completely different piece of work.

Characteristics of the chamfering technique

Chamfering is a technique for carving the surface of ceramics to create a polyhedron, which gives it a sharp impression. However, in this piece, the glaze is applied thickly to soften the corners. This gives it a sharp look, but at the same time, it also has a gentle and warm impression. Furthermore, the chamfering makes it easier for the fingers to grip, making it easier to hold and less likely to slip, making it a practical piece.

Tradition and background of ash glaze

Ash glaze is a traditional glaze made from wood and straw ash, and has played an important role in East Asian pottery since ancient times. This ash glaze creates a unique texture in Chinese, Korean and Japanese pottery, and is still used in many workshops today. In particular, ash-glazed pottery, developed at the Sanage kiln in Owari in the early 9th century, spread mainly to kilns in Aichi, Gifu and Shizuoka throughout the Nara and Heian periods, and has become familiar to many people as an everyday item. This glaze, which uses plant ash, is fired at high temperatures to refine the gaps between the particles, resulting in a finish with excellent water resistance.

Onishi Rakusai's "Ash Glazed Beveled Vase" respects the tradition of Hagi glaze while incorporating a modern aesthetic sense. The beauty of its colors draws the viewer in, like a natural landscape.

As a favorite work of Yamamura Goryu

This vase is also known as a favorite item of the Yamamura School. Yamamura School is a school of flower arrangement centered around Fumonzan Enshoji Temple in Yamamachi, Nara City, and began as a nunnery founded by Princess Bunchi, the first daughter of Emperor Gomizunoo. The work is highly regarded as a prestigious vase that meets the tastes of this historic school.

With the change of seasons

The "Ash Glazed Beveled Vase" changes its appearance with the changing of the seasons, creating a different atmosphere depending on the place where it is displayed. In spring, you can enjoy the colors reminiscent of new green buds, and in autumn, the colors of autumn leaves. This vase, which has a beautiful appearance throughout the four seasons, can be said to be a work that truly embodies the beauty of Japan's nature.