Chawan / Shigaraki / Shigaraki / Koyama Kiyoko
Shigaraki Chawan by Koyama Kiyoko/Other Works
Koyama Kiyoko(b.1936) was born far from Shigaraki in Nagasaki prefecture; she came to Shigaraki when she was eighteen and then spent some time in Kyoto studying about Kenzan and sometsuke blue and white wares. At the age of twenty-seven she decided to pursue Shigaraki and thus entered a very closed male world; her strong will pulled her through some very tough discriminating times and she has created some stunning Shigaraki works ever since.Koyama takes Shigaraki clay as it comes from the ground, dries it in the sun and crushes it into small pieces with a wooden mallet. After mixing the clay with water and kneading it, she lets it temper for at least a year. Before forming it into pots, she wedges each batch four hundred times'--this was written in the 'Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections' exhibition catalog at the Japan Society, New York 1993. The intense process that Koyama undertakes to bring out the beauty of clay and amazing natural-ash glazes from her long two week firing process are quite evident on these eight works, from three small guinomi to a larger jar; all selected works are her fabulous mentori-faceted forms. This chawan is on the large side, yet quite light and again the beauty of the clay and natural ash-glazes are A1. In perfect condition with a signed box, 9.8cm.tallx15x13.cm., signed on base. Photos and details of other works gladly sent on request. A recent Japan Times article on chawan: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/09/25/arts/chawan-simply-some-of-the-hardest-works-of-pottery-to-create/#.UkNoxX9RGdk