Suriotoshi Tataki Vase, Kohiki Style

Ceramics

Brand: 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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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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