Suriotoshi Tataki Vase, Kohiki Style

Ceramics

Craft Company: Ryutagama

Craft Artist: Taki Nakazato

ORIGIN: Karatsu, Saga Prefecture
SIZE: Φ195 × H225mm
MATERIAL: Clay

Standing at ease

Carved patterns, struck into the surface in a light and jaunty rhythm and overlaid by a hazy, frosted surface texture brought to life through suri-otoshi, create a one-of-a-kind vision. This Karatsu flower vase, a fusion of traditional techniques and the artist’s originality, is a masterpiece whose leisurely, calm personality draws the eye while also beautifully bringing out the best in the flowers.

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“Shibui” is one of Japan’s traditional aesthetics, expressing a deep-seated charm. Although commonly used to describe flavors, as for tea or wine, the term is versatile and finds its way into everyday language, describing not only taste but also colors or expressions, such as color is “shibui colors” or “wearing a shibui expression.”The kanji character “渋” (shib...

RESOURCE

Suri-otoshi
- Technique
A technique wherein white slip (a liquid clay mixture used to decorate pottery) is partially wiped off (in Japanese “suri-otoshi”) to reveal the color and pattern of the base material. Taki Nakazato created this technique, inspired by Negoro-nuri style lacquerware.
Tataki (Tapping)
- Technique
The technique of forming clay into a long ‘string’, laying it in spirals to form a vessel, and then smoothing out the joints and shaping it by tapping (in Japanese, “tataki”) the surface with a wooden mallet against wooden battens placed inside. The battened boards and mallet are carved to safely separate the clay from the board, but also produce a decorative effect as if the surface of the vessel is engraved with a pattern.
Kohiki
- Technique
A firing technique wherein the entire surface of a base is covered with white slip (a liquid clay mixture used to decorate pottery) and then with a transparent glaze before firing, producing a characteristic soft texture. Also known as kofuki.
Karatsu ware
- Generic term
A general term for ceramics fired in western Saga and northern Nagasaki Prefectures. This region prospered as a major pottery production area and is especially renowned for its ceramics made for the tea ceremony, which were first produced in earnest during the Momoyama period (1573-1603). Following a period of decline, it recovered during the Showa era (1926-1989). Karatsu ware is notable for the variety of decorative techniques such as E-Karatsu (Painted Karatsu), Madara-Karatsu (Mottled Karatsu), Chosen Karatsu (Korean Karatsu), Mishima Karatsu and Kawa-kujira (whale skin), and as such has a wide variety of expressions.

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