Tokoname is a medium sized city located in the Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It’s miles undoubtedly one of many six notorious outdated kilns of Japan, producing tea pots, sewer pipes and… Bonsai pots.
Although Tokoname used to be notorious for its clay (Tokoname literally methodology “Regularly gentle”), vital of that has ran out and what remains are highly skilled craftsman, with a popularity for quality Bonsai containers, every glazed and unglazed.
No longer too lengthy ago the Tokoname predicament had dozens of Bonsai potteries, nevertheless with the bust of the Jap economic system and declining hobby in Bonsai in Japan, the potters too skilled difficult times. Factual now a pair of dozen kilns dwell, with fourth and fifth know-how artists establishing the pots.
Invited by the Tokoname affiliation, we shot a documentary on the honest craftsmanship of the Tokoname potters. Focusing on the draw of creating a Bonsai pot, we filmed six artists of their ateliers.
Mini documentary: The Clay Masters of Tokoname
Route of of creating Bonsai pots
Right here is a high level blueprint of the steps all for establishing a Bonsai pot.
Step 1: Making ready the clay
On the Atelier of Tokoname clay they import, combine, purify and distribute the general clay for the all potters in Tokoname. For diverse types of pottery, there are diverse types of clay and the potters can customise their very possess mixture for the final observe traits. As soon as the clay is at the potter, it’d be kneaded by every hand and machine to enable the potter to work with it. On the entire a potter makes exhaust of a machine to construct the clay extra gentle after which knead it in the becoming form. Next, there are three diverse ways to form a pot. We’ll expose the shaping with a mold first and after that list how the wheel and handbook suggestions work.
Step 2a: Shaping with a mold
The slab of clay is created by kneading the clay completely after which establishing skinny layers by running a thin steel wire across the clay. The slab is then rolled onto a pipe to poke it to the mildew. Lastly, the slab is then pushed and fashioned into the mildew the usage of a sand bag. Excess clay on the interior is now eliminated the usage of a spatula, to be obvious the thickness of the clay is uniform. The moulded pot then needs to dry for a day, prior to the mildew will be eliminated. On the entire here is the second to add the impress on the bottom of the pot, as successfully as establishing holes for drainage. Lastly, with some moulds the rim also needs to be added manually.
Step 2b: Shaping with a wheel
The usage of the wheel is potentially one of many most sensible ways in which we continuously judge of when talking about pottery. The potters indicate inconceivable craftsmanship when establishing the ideal form for the bonsai pot. Whereas the toes of the pot are mechanically created when the usage of a mold, the potter that makes exhaust of the wheel as a shaping plan, needs to get this one at a time (most frequently after in some unspecified time in the future of drying first).
Step 2c: Shaping with clay slabs
No longer all pots will be made the usage of moulds or wheels. As no longer all will be the same in form and no longer all are spherical. Some potters rather get the bonsai pots themselves the usage of slabs that they lower out themselves. This enables them to construct undoubtedly one of a style pots that are precisely designed to their buyer’s needs. On the entire the body of the pot is designed first and after a pair of hours drying the rim is added, and any other time a pair of hours later the toes will be created.
Step 3: Finishing and drying
Water finishing. To smoothen the surface and edges of the pot, the craftsmen exhaust all types of cloths and cards that they dip in water. Drying. Drying makes sure that the pots defend in the becoming form when being fired later. Drying can exhaust between 1-3 days time depending on the scale of the pot. On this describe loads of glazed pots are drying, nearly ready to be fired.
Step 4: Glazing
Some pots are glazed, largely to suit Deciduous or broadleaf evergreen trees. The pot is dipped precise into a basin of glaze, after which it is left to dry for a pair of day prior to being fired. As soon as rapidly a second glazing is added and the pot will be fired any other time.
Step 5: Finishing and firing
Each the surface and the perimeters are polished and smoothened for the length of the drying route of, friendly prior to the firing. After in some unspecified time in the future of drying the potter can add their very possess impress impress by both scribbling or pressing their title on the bottom of the pot. The kiln is then stuffed with pots and over the route of about 30 hours heated to 1180 degrees Celsius, and cooled down any other time.
The Bonsai potters we interviewed
黎鳳 – Reiho (Katsushi Kataoka) Seizan Toen 4th know-how 秀峰 – Shuuhou (Hidemi Kataoka) Yoshimura toen Fifth know-how 壹興 – Ikko (Kazuhiro Watanabe) Kanesho Seitosho 2nd know-how 角山 – Kakuzan (Kakuyuki Watanabe) Kakuzan toen 4th know-how 山秋 – Yamaaki (Hiroaki Inoue) Yamaaki Inherited the kiln of his uncle named Yamaaki. They produced pots on a truly mammoth scale and had been the final observe bonsai kiln that employed over 20 craftsmen. 山房 – Yamafusa (Takehiko Koie) Yamafusa Koie seitosho 4th know-how Shibakatsu (Katsuichi Shibata) Shibakatsu en 1st know-how 田中辰弘 – Mr. Tatsuhiro Tanaka Atelier of Tokoname clay The director of the Tokoname Clay Atelier. In Tokoname they safe clay from the Tokoname predicament and additional away. They combine loads of diverse types of clay to make certain consistent traits.
More data will be stumbled on on the tokonamebonsaipots.com web page.
