Robert Fornell Ceramics

Artisans share their Teaware Art.


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Aug 16th, '09, 11:29
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Moss » Aug 16th, '09, 11:29

Beautiful work Robert. I would love to see more.

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Aug 16th, '09, 15:58
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by coloradopu » Aug 16th, '09, 15:58

how do Robert!

love the avatar is that you?

any who hello and glad to see another Artisan on here ...... more fodder to taste. looks like you have some nice work there and boy i would like to see more. please post more pics and flicker works great too give it a try thats what i use.

as once said by that mod guy who you should not ignore we need more stuff on the shelf so please help!!

looking for more.............

Cpu
P.S. sorry for the late drop in got stuck in the mud. luckily i had some cha Gau with me and i got out un-scared.

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Aug 17th, '09, 10:03
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Aug 17th, '09, 10:03

0
Attachments
Cha 2aa.jpg
Oribe-Hakeme Chawan...... Courtesy of Oakwood Ceramics Gallery, Nottinghamshire, UK
Cha 2aa.jpg (68.25 KiB) Viewed 3638 times
Last edited by Robert Fornell on Jan 8th, '11, 11:11, edited 2 times in total.

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Aug 17th, '09, 10:40
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Chip » Aug 17th, '09, 10:40

Very nice Oribe! Whenever I see a Japanese Oribe, I am reminded that I know so little since I don't really understand them very much. I see the bright green color which I like since it is my fave color, but beyond that ... still need to learn.

Any insight, Robert, into what is going on with your chawan that would help me and others to understand Oribe a bit more?

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Aug 17th, '09, 14:05
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Aug 17th, '09, 14:05

R
Kato ei 2a.jpg
Sumie painting by Kato Tokuro
Kato ei 2a.jpg (34.86 KiB) Viewed 3625 times
Kato Takahiro copy.jpg
With Kato Takahiro. Tokuro's kiln in the background..
Kato Takahiro copy.jpg (21.13 KiB) Viewed 3625 times
Last edited by Robert Fornell on Jan 8th, '11, 11:12, edited 3 times in total.

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Aug 17th, '09, 14:32
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by bonjiri » Aug 17th, '09, 14:32

ronin ceramurai wrote:Thanks Chip!

Historically, Oribe is named after Furuta Oribe who was a samurai under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobunaga both powerful Osaka warlords. Oribe studied Sadou under Sen no Rikyu before branching out to start his own school of tea and it is said that he then commisioned Mino potters to create a new type of ware for him thus the birth of Oribe ware. Asked to plot against the Emporer by his warlords in Osaka, his revolt failed and he, as well as all of his sons were beheaded.

Another intersting factoid surrounding Oribe is that of the Mino potter Kato Tokuro who passed away in the mid-80's. This story was related to me by Kato Takahiro, Tokuro's grandson whom I visited a few years ago at his family's studio. Tokuro, along with Arakawa Toyozo (Shino), Miwa Jyusetsu (Hagi), Kaneshige Michio (Bizen) and Kitakawa Handeshi (a banker from Tsu who made the most amazing pots and was the intellectual/spiritual leader of the group...... more on Handeshi later) were a group of amazingly talented potters doing work to revive and understand works from the Momoyama period which is considered to be the pinncale of Japanese studio pottery. All of these men had their respective specialities and Tokuro's was Oribe. Carrying an ego uncommon in his day, Tokuro thought that his work rivaled anything ever done historically so he proceeded to break up a series of his pieces and then bury them. As most of these potters were scholars as well as archeologists concerning their respective specialties, digging shards for study was quite common. After a number of years passed, Tokuro partially dug up his latest "find" of Oribe ware and then promptly notified Monbusho (Japanese cultural ministry) in Tokyo of the location of the specimens at which time Monbusho sent their Oribe expert down to Nagoya to join Tokuro in his "research". Retuning to Tokyo, the gentleman from Monbusho promptly wrote a lengthly treatise on the newest, and most amazing find of Oribe shards. These matters are not taken lightly in Japan however and when Tokuro let everyone in on the joke, the gentleman in Toyko was promptly fired in disgrace while Tokuro was summarily excommunicated from the prestigeous Japan National Potters Association as well as forced to move his kiln and studio.

More on the posted Oribe chawan later.....

R
Kato ei 2a.jpg
Kato Takahiro copy.jpg
interesting about the einin tsubo incident

the 'disgraced' fellow fired also committed suicide. sad story.
also kato was never a ningen kokuho. it probably didn't matter to him

saw one of kato tokuro's chawan at kuroda toen in shibuya. yikes $150,000 US !

i'm a fan of kato tokuro and his son okabe mineo

also a fan of kawakita handeishi ! GLAD you shared this information !

aloha ! great info on oribe !
Last edited by bonjiri on Aug 17th, '09, 15:30, edited 1 time in total.

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Aug 17th, '09, 14:48
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Mrs. Chip » Aug 17th, '09, 14:48

Thank you Robert for sharing that story and Cory, also for the added interesting info.

I am holding my breath for more on your Oribe posted. It's breathtaking.

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Aug 17th, '09, 16:12
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Aug 17th, '09, 16:12

Below shino by former Tokuro deishi Yamada Kazu
Attachments
Yamada Kazu - Embu Shino Chawan.jpg
Yamada Kazu - Embu Shino 2003
Yamada Kazu - Embu Shino Chawan.jpg (19.47 KiB) Viewed 3614 times
Last edited by Robert Fornell on Jan 8th, '11, 11:14, edited 1 time in total.

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Aug 17th, '09, 16:21
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Seeker » Aug 17th, '09, 16:21

Thank you for the wonderful history Robert!
And Wow, that shino - like molten lava.
Peace to all.

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Aug 17th, '09, 17:37
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by shyrabbit » Aug 17th, '09, 17:37

Welcome Robert,

I've admired your works for sometime now...I look forward to hearing more of what you will offer.

Michael

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Aug 17th, '09, 18:39
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Chip » Aug 17th, '09, 18:39

Very interesting!

So, why is that almost all Oribe seem to be reckognizable instantly ... first by the green glaze, and then by the rather distinctive contrasting and bold markings?

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Aug 19th, '09, 09:09
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by bonjiri » Aug 19th, '09, 09:09

robert

cool oribe piece

can u show a photo of the koudai ?

my fiance's dad is a big kato takahiro collector. do you know him personally ? that is a cool photo of you and kato san. he looks really young in that pic.

i saw a show of kamagure, 3 generations of kato family in musee de tomo in tokyo. kato tokuro, shigetaka and takahiro. takahiro's huge piece was amazing, sort of murasaki shino huge foot wedged tsubo. it was standing upright. amazing ! looked like it weighed a ton !

i'm a big fan of kato tokuro. it was my first potter shared by a friend thru a book when i first started studying ceramics. his forms are amazing. saw also some huge wall pieces in some kyoto hotels. they were like 4x8 meters big. looks like they were made like a puzzle on the ground then mounted on a wall.

aloha

cory

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Aug 19th, '09, 11:14
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Aug 19th, '09, 11:14

0
Last edited by Robert Fornell on Jan 8th, '11, 11:19, edited 1 time in total.

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Aug 19th, '09, 11:28
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by Robert Fornell » Aug 19th, '09, 11:28

0
Last edited by Robert Fornell on Jan 8th, '11, 11:20, edited 1 time in total.

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Aug 20th, '09, 14:02
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Re: Robert Fornell (Ronin Ceramurai) Chadogu

by bonjiri » Aug 20th, '09, 14:02

thanks robert

the pink feldspar sounds interesting

can you please share your kiln/s and firing methods ?

mainly gas and or woodfire ?

thanks !
cory

ps thank you from k-chan and i ! MAHALO !

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