Rice bowl
Oribe Kezuri-otoshi Carved Rice Bowl
織部 削落 ご飯茶碗$100In stock
Toki, Gifu Prefecture · Founded 1910
Kazufumi Wada
A kiln that has met the clay and glazes of Mino across four generations. The deep colors of Oribe glaze (the soft green of the Mino tradition) and tenmoku glaze (dark and lustrous, drawn from iron) enrich the daily meal and the hour of tea.
Keizan Kiln is a Mino ware kiln in Toki, Gifu Prefecture. A century has passed since its first firing, and the fourth-generation potter Wada Kazufumi, working from the foundation of the traditional Oribe glaze and gensai, the dark lustre of tenmoku, finishes each piece by hand — from vessels for the table to utensils for the tea ceremony — so that it suits the life of the one who uses it. Wada serves as a director of the Mino Ceramic Art Association, and was awarded the Takuo Prize in 2017 and, in 2018, Gifu Prefecture's commendation for distinguished service in the transmission of traditional culture.
- 01Location01
- Toki, Japan
Keizan Kiln is a Mino ware kiln in Toki, Gifu Prefecture. A century has passed since its first firing, and the fourth-generation potter Wada Kazufumi, working from the foundation of the traditional Oribe glaze and gensai, the dark lustre of tenmoku, finishes each piece by hand — from vessels for the table to utensils for the tea ceremony — so that it suits the life of the one who uses it. Wada serves as a director of the Mino Ceramic Art Association, and was awarded the Takuo Prize in 2017 and, in 2018, Gifu Prefecture's commendation for distinguished service in the transmission of traditional culture.
- 01Location01
- Toki, Japan
02 — From Keizan Kiln
Within Tradition, a Vessel of One's Own
I entered Keizan Kiln in 1969, having finished my studies in ceramics. I joined the family trade in Toki, carried on since the first generation, as the fourth. The days spent in the company of clay and fire are no different now. Ever since, I have considered it my charge to pass this work on to the generation that follows.
How to honor the weight of tradition and still, living in the present age, bring forth something that is mine alone — that is what occupies me daily. Working from the foundation of the glazes handed down to us, the Oribe glaze and tenmoku gensai, I search in form and pattern for a newness suited to daily life. There is no single answer, so I proceed by confirming it each time the kiln is opened.
A vessel, I believe, settles into a person's everyday life through the use of it. For the daily meal, and for the hours of sake or matcha alike, I aim for vessels that feel right in the hand. It would please me if vessels born of a Toki kiln found their place at tables abroad as well.
和田
Wada Kazufumi和田 和文Fourth-generation potter, Keizan Kiln
03 — Making the Vessels
From Clay to Firing
Clay and Wheel
土とろくろThe making of a vessel begins with the choosing of the clay. Wada selects it himself, then raises it into form upon the wheel. His hands rest against the turning clay, drawing it upward with his fingertips, settling the lines of the mouth, the neck, the body. Even when the same shape is sought, the condition of the clay and the movement of the hand give rise to slight differences in each piece. It is for this very reason that what is made by hand sits so well in the hand.
Glaze and Line Carving
釉薬と線彫Besides Oribe, he works in the glazes handed down in Mino — kohiki (a white slip drawn over the clay beneath the glaze), Kiseto (the pale yellow of old Seto), turquoise glaze. The blending of them, too, Wada does himself. When the glaze changes, the character of the vessel changes greatly. Line carving is a technique in which patterns are incised with fine lines. Where the glaze gathers, the lines rise up in deeper color. The carving bears also on how the piece appears when taken into the hand.
Kiln and Firing
窯と焼きThe finish is the firing. The vessels are set on the shelves, the kiln is packed, and the fire is lit. Oribe and tenmoku are each fired in their own way. Since the color that emerges depends on how the flame strikes and how the temperature rises, the manner of firing is decided glaze by glaze. Position within the kiln and the pitch of the fire also govern the result, so the firing proceeds with the kiln watched throughout.
04 — Choosing a Vessel
Vessels Within Daily Life
Vessels for the Table
食卓の器We make the vessels of the everyday table: rice bowls, teacups, sushi plates, guinomi (the small cup held in the hand for sake). The bowls, teacups and sushi plates come in a deep green, a white, and a mingling of green and white; gathered in a single color they lend the table a quiet unity, and they suit the giving of gifts. The sushi plates are flat, raised on small feet. The guinomi serves for sake, and equally as a small dish for a delicacy.
Matcha Bowls
抹茶盌In a matcha bowl, the color of the vessel alters the way the green of the tea appears. The bowls differ in glaze and in pattern, and those differences serve as a guide in choosing; they are readily compared even in photographs. A bowl made by hand, cupped in both palms, comes naturally to rest in the hands. It is a vessel for a solitary bowl of tea in the course of a day, and equally for a gathering held in welcome of guests. The wooden box that houses each matcha bowl is likewise inscribed by Wada's own brush, one by one.
Gallery En
ギャラリー縁Gallery En occupies a hundred-year-old rice granary, moved and rebuilt just as it stood, and is run directly by Keizan Kiln. On the ground floor stand vessels that lend brightness to daily life; on the floor above, works that present ceramics as art. Here one may encounter both the vessel for everyday use and the piece made for contemplation, and come close to the handwork of Keizan Kiln. We invite you to call in.
05 — Ceramic Record
The Path of Wada Kazufumi
1910
The first-generation potter, Wada Keijiro, opens "Keizan Kiln"
1949
Wada Kazufumi is born in Toki, Gifu Prefecture
1969
Graduates from the ceramics course of Tajimi Technical High School. Enters "Keizan Kiln" as the fourth generation.
1990
Sent to Faenza, Italy, by the city of Toki
1994
Ceramic wall for the prefectural road's Shirasawa Bridge, commissioned by Gifu Prefecture
2012
Appointed auditor and director of the Mino Ceramic Art Association
06 — Recognition
Awards and Selections
1974 · Most recent
First selected for the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition and the Chunichi International Ceramic Art Exhibition
Selected seven times thereafter for the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition, and eight times for the Chunichi International Ceramic Art Exhibition- 1988
Awarded the Chūnichi Encouragement Prize at the Mino Ceramic Art Exhibition
Awarded twice more thereafter - 2017
Awarded the 35th Takuo Prize by the Mino Ceramic Art Association
- 2018
Honored by Gifu Prefecture for Merit in the Transmission of Traditional Culture
- 2020
Awarded the Encouragement Prize at the Mino Tea Bowl Exhibition
07 — VisitView in Google Maps ↗
Visit the workshop.
Address
Keizan Kiln 699-1-2 Oroshicho Gifu Prefecture Toki, Gifu 509-5202
桂山窯 〒509-5202 岐阜県土岐市下石町６９９−１−２
Opening hours
SunClosed
Mon–Sat10:00–19:00