BIZEN YAKI (備前焼き)-Ceramics of Okayama Prefecture

Bizen Yaki has a history of about one thousand years. It has avoided foreign influences and has remained true to the old shapes and techniques.  Kei Fujiwara in Barbara Adachi's "The Living Treasures of Japan" said "There is not better clay anywhere. We dig it up from beneath the rice paddies of Imbe. Just feel it. Yes, it can be described as creamy and silky to the touch, but what is important to the potter is that it has great plasticity." 

The Six Families of Bizen, as mentioned on Robert Yellin's blog, are Kaneshige, Mori, Kimura, Ottan, Hayami, and Terami. The first three families are still producing wonderful wares. Of course there are incredible potters with the names of Fujiwara, Yamamoto and more! 

Here are some great links to Bizen marks:

Bizen mark links

https://touyuukai.jp/artist/

https://www.wakakusa.info/bizen-sign/

https://narutaki-online.com/?mode=f7

https://kottou.p-kit.com/page366846.html

http://www.bizen-yaki.net/?mode=f3

http://otokuinfomation.web.fc2.com/blog/index5351.html

http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/bizen-markings.html

https://chano-yu.com/famous-japanese-potters-and-marks/

https://modernjapanesepotterymarks.blogspot.com/2011/11/bizenyaki.html

                                                          KORAKUEN GAMA (興楽園)

                                                            KIMURA YUKEI (木村友敬)

8 cm mini vase 

Small tea cup

Large tea cup

Kimura Yukei 15 MARK (AKA Kimura Sumio 木村純雄)

                                            

I had the opportunity to visit Bizen on Friday November 23rd.  My first stop was to visit (15th Sumio) Yukei Kimura's kiln in Imbe.  He greeted us graciously and then offered to show us through the kiln. It was quite interesting to go through the passageway into the Japanese garden.  The walls of the passageway had pieces of pottery imbedded into it. He showed us the noborigama and explained about the process. He had bundles of wood stacked along the back walls.  It takes 1200 bundles for firing!  He used to fire 3-4 times a year but these days (he is 83 years old), it is less. We got a couple of small pieces, pictured above.

                                                        

                                       

This is the work of Yukei Kimura 14, of Korakuen Kiln

Bizenyaki Kimura Yukei 14 sake set

Kimura Yukei 14 MARK

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/ryouma66jp/63446168.html
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LINKS

Bizen sites:  http://www.e-yakimono.net/guide/html/bizen.html , http://okayama-japan.jp/en/skillfull/okayama-kougei/233.html , http://www.toukogama.com/touko/

In 2018 The 16th Kimura Yukei (Shigeo) became master of the kiln.

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                                                       FUJIWARA TOUSHIN (藤原陶臣) 

(the box appears to be his father’s Fujiwara Tōsai)

                     

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                                                                     UNKNOWNS

Mark yet to be identified


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                                                          JOHN THOMAS WELLS

I met Mr. John Thomas Wells yesterday (Feb 21, 2012) and told him I would link his site.  He had some wonderful works on exhibit at Takashimaya Department Store in Okayama which I enjoyed seeing. His link (in English) is: http://johnthomaswells.web.fc2.com/top.html

  

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                                                               TOUSHOUEN (陶正園)

                                                                  KIMURA TOHO

                                                                      (木村陶峰)

I picked up a great little piece by Toho Kimura.

Toho MARK

                                      

                             

                Vintage ashtray by Toho Kimura, a better use of the pottery, I think. 

                              

                                   Toho Kimura MARK

I have seen at least three marks attributed to Toho Kimura.  This one above, one character that looks like "chikara" 力  (power) and lastly a hand carved mark of Toho in Kanji.

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                                                                GOROBEE GAMA

                                                               

Here is a great vase by Gorobee Kiln. The bottom mark is the Gorobee Kiln mark, the upper one is probably the individual artist which I have not yet identified.

https://56b.co.jp/about_us/buyo

This is a small plate made by GOROBEE Kiln. There is another mark below the kiln mark which most likely indicates the potter.

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TAIZAN GAMA

                                                             

                                                                 Yunomi cup by Taizan Kiln

                                                         

                                                       This is one of the Marks by Taizan Kiln

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                                                                KANESHIGE RITOUEN

                                                                        (金重利陶苑)

                                                                    

                                         

                                        

                                                                        MARK

http://kaneshigeritouen.com/kaneshige.html
http://kaneshigeritouen.com/en/kaneshige.html

BISHU GAMA Yamamoto Soushu 山本宗秀

Nanzan Gama Matsubara Sho

伊勢崎満