Monday, October 22, 2012

OBORI SOMA YAKI(大堀相馬焼き)-Ceramics of Fukushima Prefecture

I love the Obori Soma-yaki pottery with its typical crackle glaze and horse motif.  Of course there is more to it than that but that is what I think of when hear Soma-yaki.  After the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident the soma-yaki potters lost everything.  Some have banded together to try to revive the craft.  As far as I know things are still at a stand still and no pottery is yet being produced.  I hope that this beautiful pottery will be able to be revived in the near future.
Update:
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/b02343/fukushima’s-suetoku-pottery-moves-beyond-311-toward-the-future.html

Many of the Soma wares are double walled. It is called "Niju-Yaki". The crackles on blue Porcelain are called Ao-hibi. The heart shape cut outs represent plovers (Chidori). Notice the wavy brush pattern below? That represents waves. This combination of plovers and waves is called Nami-Chidori in Japanese, and is a common motif in Japanese arts. (Some people think the cut outs are hearts and I was told they were here hoofs but in the link below the artisan explains the motif. 






Added a sake cup to my collection-no mark






SUE TOKU KILN. 陶徳窯
This is not a piece that I own but was given permission to use these photos for this blog so that it can help others. Mr. Sue lost everything in the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. He tried to make a come back. He has since passed away. 



KOZAN GAMA (幸山窯)



Hankatsu

https://www.hankatsu.com/

Here are some catalog pages from a 1962-1963 Mail Order Gift Catalog of the Far East Exchange Service. (Thanks to Prudencio Rodriguez for allowing me to post from his collection)







17 comments:

  1. I have just bought a pair of guinomi. One kiln I know has been started again in the city of Nihon Matsu (in the middle of Fukushima prefecture and outside the Power Station zone). At the moment it is only a small output but the good news is that Somayaki is once again being made.

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  2. Thank you for the update. I moved from Japan a couple of months ago so have not had a chance to get caught up on the pottery scene. I am so glad they are making a come back!!

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  3. I have a collection of Soma ware with items that I've never seen before in the US. I have 15 large perfect condition dinner plates, and a huge amount of medium and smaller plates. I also have tea pots, and many different sizes of cups. Since Somayaki pottery is currently not being produced in large quantities I believe my collection's value will go way up.

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    Replies
    1. If you are ever interested in selling 4-6 of the dinner plates please contact me. smccabe122@msn.com

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    2. Many years ago my husband and I went antiquing for our wedding anniversary in Brooksville Florida. That is where we found the beautiful so many Somayaki dishes. We found two small cups and a tall one. At the time we chose them because they had the hearts on them and they were sage green and as our last name is Sage we thought it only appropriate to use them and have them for our anniversary dishes. It took him several years but we found many pieces. It is our hope to find dinner plates and so are we are searching for anyone who has dinner plates that they would want to sell or trade. I can be reached at SageHydro17@aol.com Thank you for your time, Sage

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  4. Soma ware is not as famous in the USA as other Japanese pottery but it is lovely pottery. The true value is in the appreciation of it, but yes, perhaps the monetary value will go up. I do hope they begin making more of it as it will help revitalize the devastated area and bring pleasure to all who are lucky enough to have Soma ware!

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  5. Soma ware is something I 've been collecting since living as a child in Japan many years ago and I've picked up pieces here and there as a reminder of a simpler and happier time. I really hope this craft can be continued for the tradition, and I do not view my collection as a monetary value increase!!! I appreciate the tradition of it!

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  6. If you are interested in selling 4 or more of the large dinner plates, please let me know -- I've been searching for years. Thank you. smccabe122@msn.com

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  7. I have a piece similar in style to the piece Mr. Sue had. I'm an absolute novice to Soma-yaki, but am slowly learning. I'm hoping perhaps if I could send you a couple of photos similar to above, if you might be able to identify the maker of this piece.

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  8. You can send pictures to marmiet23@gmail.com.

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  9. I have 16 of the tea cups with the horse inside also 8 larger glasses with the horse on the outside. Never been used would like to sell can you advise. Will check back on this page. Thanks Gary

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  10. What can you tell me about the SUE TOKU KILN. I have been trying to get information on this mark.
    Thanks!!

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    Replies
    1. I added a link with some information to the page.

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  11. I just got two cups like this from my Goodwill, but they do not have the gold horse or a traditional stamp -just say "MADE IN LAFAN" on the bottom, lol. Probably not the real McCoy. :)

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    Replies
    1. Not all Soma Yaki has the horse motif. I can imagine anyone trying to make fake Soma Yaki. It's possible the marking was an error with the J facing the wrong direction. L.

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  12. Well that would be nice if they were the real thing! I am keeping the cups in any case as they are quite beautiful, cool to the touch, and keep my tea nice and warm. :)

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