Vase
Item
Title
Vase
Creator
Kobei KATO V
Japanese 1893–1982
Japanese 1893–1982
Measurements
9-3/8 x 3-1/4 in. (23.9 x 8.3 cm)
Description
This vase is in the kuro (black) oribe style, characterized by the use of shiny black glaze to emphasize the shape of the piece. Oribe style is traditional Mino ware, named after the Mino district in Gifu prefecture. The Oribe style is traced back to the late-sixteenth century tea master Futura Oribe, who had an interest in rustic, functional, and uniquely Japanese tea ware. Oribe changed the tea ceremony to promote his simpler, less formal style characterized by asymmetrical oddly shaped tea bowls. Oribe’s tea ware inspired other pottery that turned away from Chinese and Korean influence to create a more Japanese aesthetic of irregularly shaped pieces, nature designs, and earth-tone glazes.
Kuro oribe is often seen as manifesting a Zen ideal of simplicity. Any adornment is simple and abstract. Here the design of a simple rush or grass plant is achieved by wrapping the plant around the vase before it is fired in the kiln; the plant burns away and leaves behind an imprint of its figure that reveals the natural clay beneath the glaze.
Kuro oribe is often seen as manifesting a Zen ideal of simplicity. Any adornment is simple and abstract. Here the design of a simple rush or grass plant is achieved by wrapping the plant around the vase before it is fired in the kiln; the plant burns away and leaves behind an imprint of its figure that reveals the natural clay beneath the glaze.
Source
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University.
Identifier
86.368
Rights
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.