Bizen Ware: Reading Fire on Unglazed Stoneware
Bizen ware, from the area of Imbe in Okayama Prefecture, is one of the Six Old Kilns of Japan, a group of potteries whose roots reach back to the medieval period. It uses no glaze at all. Instead, the iron-rich clay is fired in a wood-burning kiln for many days, and every colour and texture on the finished piece is a record of where it sat in the fire.
Clay and kiln
The clay is dug from beneath rice paddies, aged for years and worked slowly. Pieces are fired in climbing or tunnel kilns for roughly ten days or more, with the potters feeding pine wood around the clock. The long firing makes the ware hard and dense, so it rings when tapped.
Reading the surface
- Goma, sesame: specks and drips of natural glaze where wood ash landed and melted.
- Hidasuki, fire cord: scarlet lines left by rice straw wrapped around a piece to stop it fusing to its neighbours.
- Botamochi: pale round patches where small discs or pots were set on a larger piece, shielding the clay from ash.
- Sangiri: dark grey and blue tones on pieces buried in ash at the floor of the kiln, where little air reaches them.
- Yohen: unpredictable kiln changes, the most prized of all.
A ware for tea and for flowers
Tea masters of the Momoyama period valued Bizen's restraint, and its water jars, flower vases and tea caddies became classics of the tea room. Many collectors say flowers last longer in a Bizen vase, and Bizen sake cups and flasks are a field of their own.
Potters to know
In the twentieth century, Kaneshige Tōyō led a revival of Momoyama-style Bizen and in 1956 became the first Bizen potter designated a Living National Treasure. Fujiwara Kei, Yamamoto Tōshū, Fujiwara Yū and Isezaki Jun followed. Pieces by these masters, and by their students and descendants, form the core of collecting today.
What collectors look for
- Kiln effects. Balanced, lively surfaces with natural ash and fire marks.
- Form. Strong, unforced shapes. Bizen is about presence, not polish.
- Box and seal. Most studio pieces are impressed with the potter's seal, often on the base, and kept in a signed box.
- Condition. Small kiln flaws and attached grit are part of the firing. Chips and cracks after firing are not.
Care
Bizen is durable but slightly porous. Rinse vases and cups after use and let them dry completely. Sake vessels are often said to improve with use as the surface takes on a soft sheen.