Narumi Oribe tea bowl by Yanashita Hideki

Width 12.1cm x 11.4cm Height 8.3cm

- Color and earth intersect, a fault line in memory -

A bowl that feels like the wind of Momoyama gently blowing through.
The Narumi Oribe tea bowl by Yanagishita Tokiki is a deliberate "fusion of different things" with a delicate harmony of shape, color, and material.It is not just beautiful, but also exudes a nostalgic yet never-before-seen landscape.

Narumi Oribe is considered the most elaborate type of Oribe ware, a form of expression that requires a high level of compositional skill both technically and visually. This "multi-layered" quality is at the heart of this piece. A copper-green glaze is applied over the white clay, creating a vibrant, vibrant "Oribe green" color. It's a deep, rich green that seems to have been captured in the corner of a mossy garden. It's more than just decorative; it gives the entire tea bowl a lively, breathing quality.

Meanwhile, white clay is applied to the red clay areas, and iron painting is added on top of that. The strength of the clay, the lightness of the lines, and the depth of the glaze all resonate with each other at different tempos, creating a sense of visual depth. It is somewhat like an abstract painting, or a landscape painting.
The "surface" of the vessel appears as a layer of time and memory.

The softness of the form and the presence of the earth

The shape is hand-kneaded, and the gently widening shape towards the rim feels natural in the palm of your hand. The soft, plump, rounded shape exudes a warmth and inclusiveness.

The surface is slightly wobbly, and as the light catches it, the shadows change slightly, and the piece's appearance changes depending on the angle and time of day you view it. It is at the boundary where the clay and glaze meet that "tranquility" and "power" coexist.

Diversity and Harmony: Narumi Oribe on the Modern World

Narumi Oribe is a type of pottery in which diverse elements coexist but never clash, but rather exist in harmony and rhythm. Yanagishita Tokiki has beautifully captured this essence, firing this bowl as a modern-day "form of harmony."

The combination of different clays in one vessel, the strong green and soft white juxtaposed, overlaps with the image of modern people living with contradictions. Recognizing differences, engaging in dialogue, and elevating them into beauty - perhaps this is the modern philosophy embodied in Oribe.

Vessels that evoke the memory of the soil

The Narumi Oribe Tea Bowl is a work based on the theme of "a dialogue between color and clay." The breath of Oribe's greenery. Each element speaks to the other, creating a single "landscape." This tea bowl is a vessel that reveals something different every time you look at it. There is an openness to it, as if it purposely refuses to be completed. This truly demonstrates its role as a "vessel that grows together," which is completed over time by the user.

Hideki Yanashita Profile
Ceramic artist 1967 –
Born in Tokyo, Yanagishita currently lives and works in Iga City, Mie Prefecture. Fascinated by pottery from the Momoyama period, he embarked on a career in ceramics. After training in Shigaraki , he built his own anagama kiln in Iga, Mie Prefecture, and opened the "Kanda Kiln." Under the tutelage of Sadamitsu Sugimoto, he delves deeply into the world of wabi-sabi from his own unique perspective, producing a diverse range of works, including Raku ware, Yakishime, Ido, and Oribe ware. An important theme in Yanagishita's creative endeavors is the pursuit of new heights , born from the incorporation of modern materials and unique approaches, while deeply studying the techniques and spirit of his predecessors. His works question essential beauty that transcends time and invite viewers into a deeper world of art.

Base of operations : Iga, Mie Prefecture

A conversation with Toki Yanagishita