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Known as the "fair maiden" of
Chinese ceramics, celadon, like tenmoku, was born in the Song Dynasty
(960-1270). Both techniques rely upon iron oxide to define their
character, and both are equally renowned for the difficulty in their mastery. So
it seems only natural that ceramic artist Kamada Kōji would heed the call of the
maiden and focus his talents on tenmoku's fairer cousin. Her simple
elegance, though, hides the enormity of the challenge behind her.
Celadon (called seiji in Japanese) forms only under the most precise
kiln conditions and is considered by many to be the most difficult
glazing technique to master. Its powdery blue forms during
reduction firing when oxygen is slowly leeched from the iron content
in the glaze - a narrow window through which few pots are able to pass
unscathed.
Mr. Kamada hits the mark with these lovely celadon green tea cups.
They were born from the kiln imbued with a soothing "moon white" (geppaku)
and accented with magenta markings called kousai - a respectful nod to the
ancient wares from the Middle Kingdom.
Each cup is precisely formed to a wafer-like thinness and perfectly
balanced. They are called yuwan in Japanese, a term which implies
their classical tenmoku tea ceremony bowl shape.
Kamada Kōji's
40th Year Commemorative Exhibition for more works from his 2008 collection.
A wooden presentation box will be custom made to order and signed by
the artist. Delivery time for this item is 2 weeks.
special care instructions |
