An informal poll: Which Japanese pottery is most popular?

[edkrueger]

Is the question what our favorite is? or is the question what we think is the most popular? on the form? In Japan?

[edkrueger]

What about Arita, Shigaraki and Seto?

[Drax]

Ohh... Sorry. I forgot kyoyaki. I was too quick.

Let us say kyoyaki and rakuyaki are the same, since raku is kind of kyoyaki.
Edited it now.

This poll is of cause only valid for you tea lovers here.

I personally vote for bizen, although I love tokoname and hagi.

"Are you talking about those of us on the forum, in general around the world, or in Japan?
I personally like Hagi Yaki the most, and can not speak as to what might be the most popular in Japan, or around the world."

Is the question what our favorite is? or is the question what we think is the most popular? on the form? In Japan?

Whew, it was an extremely close tie between bizen and hagi for me. I love the primacy of bizen... but in the end, the wide diversity of hagi won me over.

Hey, what about toriyaki, nikuyaki, and takoyaki??

Sorry... couldn't resist!

[time]

Yes... Forgive me

Arita, toriyaki, nikuyaki, Shigaraki and Seto should be included. There are just too many and the number of alternatives is limited.

The question is ´about the most popular yaki´ here at the forum;)

[MarshalN]

I'm surprised raku has so little support. Why?

[jaderabbit]

I voted hagi because my only Japanese piece right now is a a hagi chawan. :p

[JBaymore]

Rakuyaki and most other so-called Kyoyaki are kind of worlds apart in many aesthetic aspects. To lump all ceramics made in Kyoto into one over-arching "Kyoyaki" category also is really painting with a very broad brush and is a bit inaccurate.

Maybe the way you are using it here, the characteristic that category defines is solely the physical location of production.

In the strictest sense, the category of "Kyoyaki" tends to define a stylistic approach to claywork that has its roots in the works of Nonomura Ninsei and Ogata Kenzan in the 17th century. True "Kyoyaki" is easily recognizable, and looks and feels nothing like raku wares. It is a refined and "courtly" type of ware.

Raku ware was never considered "Kyoyaki". If anything it is a reaction to/against the general Kyoyaki aesthetic.

Current production in the Kyoto area is not as "tight" as maybe it was at one time. So a geographical based "Kyoyaki" term is really not all that useful. Same is true with a number of other pottery centers these days.

Stylistically, things are not as "pure" as they were in by-gone days most anywhere in Japan. For example, people are making shino type wares in places that they never were made traditionally (Mino)... and so on for most all recognizable "styles" of work.

I have some Shino glaze material and Mashiko kaki glaze material and Kanayama clay body and Shigaraki clay body material here in the USA..... brought back from Japan. So boundaries are not as firm as they once were when travel within Japan was difficult and incredibly expensive.

You can get clay bodies and glaze materials from all over Japan in many of the large ceramic suppliers. With the tendency to glorifiy materiality in so much of Japanese ceramics, these raw materials are an inherent part of the visual "spirit" of many types of wares.

best,

................john

[JBaymore]

Hey, what about toriyaki, nikuyaki, and takoyaki??

[MarshalN]

Rakuyaki and most other so-called Kyoyaki are kind of worlds apart in many aesthetic aspects. To lump all ceramics made in Kyoto into one over-arching "Kyoyaki" category also is really painting with a very broad brush and is a bit inaccurate.

Maybe the way you are using it here, the characteristic that category defines is solely the physical location of production.

In the strictest sense, the category of "Kyoyaki" tends to define a stylistic approach to claywork that has its roots in the works of Nonomura Ninsei and Ogata Kenzan in the 17th century. True "Kyoyaki" is easily recognizable, and looks and feels nothing like raku wares. It is a refined and "courtly" type of ware.

Raku ware was never considered "Kyoyaki". If anything it is a reaction to/against the general Kyoyaki aesthetic.

Current production in the Kyoto area is not as "tight" as maybe it was at one time. So a geographical based "Kyoyaki" term is really not all that useful. Same is true with a number of other pottery centers these days.

Stylistically, things are not as "pure" as they were in by-gone days most anywhere in Japan. For example, people are making shino type wares in places that they never were made traditionally (Mino)... and so on for most all recognizable "styles" of work.

I have some Shino glaze material and Mashiko kaki glaze material and Kanayama clay body and Shigaraki clay body material here in the USA..... brought back from Japan. So boundaries are not as firm as they once were when travel within Japan was difficult and incredibly expensive.

You can get clay bodies and glaze materials from all over Japan in many of the large ceramic suppliers. With the tendency to glorifiy materiality in so much of Japanese ceramics, these raw materials are an inherent part of the visual "spirit" of many types of wares.

best,

................john

I was wondering the same thing about lumping raku in with kyoyaki, because I've seen pretty much everything under the sun being called kyoyaki before -- all kinds of different looks, styles, etc, whereas raku is a very strictly defined type of ware.

[Saladin]

I have some Shino glaze material and Mashiko kaki glaze material and Kanayama clay body and Shigaraki clay body material here in the USA..... brought back from Japan. So boundaries are not as firm as they once were when travel within Japan was difficult and incredibly expensive.

John,

I was once told that you weren't allowed to bring ceramic materials out of Japan? Is that no longer the case? Just curious..

John

[JBaymore]

John,

Not an issue I've encountered. I have brought materials in my luggage on return flights ...... in original packaging (white power in a plastic bag has great potential for inducing "questions" !). I have also shipped such materials. In both cases they were labeled exactly for what they were. My friends have shipped materials to me also.

Wet clay materials does not go in checked or carry on luggage...... looks too much like certain plastic exlosives.

I've shipped American ceramic materials into Japan also on a number of occasions when I have wanted to use some of my home materials mixed in with Japanese native materials when I have been making pots there.

If you were digging "raw clay" and bagging it up I think there might be an issue with the potential of "biological material" coming thru with it on import into the US.

best,

..............john

[Saladin]

Cool, thanks for the info! I'd like to mail-order a big bag of white slip clay so I could get some nice pink Cheerios on my pots.

[JBaymore]

Cool, thanks for the info! I'd like to mail-order a big bag of white slip clay so I could get some nice pink Cheerios on my pots.

John,

I am not exactly sure how you'd "mail order" anything. (日本語はなせますか。)

Love the "Cherrios" description!

best,

............john

[edkrueger]

You should put Kyo, Arita and Kutani together. Bizen, Tamba and Shigaraki together. Tokoname and Modern Banko together –since it is largely made in Tokoname. (I doubt much anyone here knows about or cares for old Banko).

[woozl]

MMmm, old Banko,