It is a vertically long, rectangular shaped vase. The body is slightly tilted; its four corners are shaved from the top to the bottom. The clay color is orange-yellow; the body is glazed with porous, milky white ash glaze. The bottom edge of the body and the bottom are unglazed. It has no foot.
Subject Matter
The vase is perhaps intended to have a single flower and to be displayed in a tea room alcove.
Label Copy
Miwa Jusetsu
Japan, b. 1910
Vase
Showa period (1926–1989)
circa 1960
Stoneware with feldspar and ash glaze
Gift of the artist, 1963/2.65
Tea bowl
Showa period (1926–1989)
circa 1960
Stoneware with feldspar and ash glaze
On loan from John and Susanne Stephenson
The Hagi kiln was founded by potters brought to Japan in the late sixteenth century following the powerful feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s invasions of Korea. In 1663, Miwa Kyûsetsu was summoned to be the official potter of the kiln and for over 400 years, the Miwa family has produced fine tea wares from it, continuing the Hagi tradition originated by their ancestor.
Miwa Jusetsu, head of the Miwa family from 1967 to 2003, is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics. The rich, white glaze seen here, called Kyûsetsu white, was developed by Jusetsu and his brother, Miwa Kyûwa (1895–1981). The sharp, modern structure of the vase also has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
(Turning Point exhibition, Spring 2010)
The Hagi kiln, on the westernmost shore of Honshû Island, was founded by a Korean potter—one of many skilled Korean craftsmen forcibly expatriated to Japan by Japanese armies that had invaded Korea in the late sixteenth century. Taking the name Miwa Kyûsetsu, he made tea wares for the exclusive use of the local military leader. For 400 years, his descendants have sustained the tradition of Hagi ware.
The current head of the family (known to many Michigan potters as Miwa Setsuo) is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics, in which the Momoyama period legacy is more a vestigial memory than an active presence. The rich, white glaze seen here, known as "White Hagi," was developed only recently, by the previous head of the Miwa line. The self-consciously modern shape of the vase has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001 February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
The Hagi kiln was founded by Korean potters who relocated to Japan in the late sixteenth century. In 1663, the local daimyo (feudal lord) summoned their descendent, the first Miwa Kyûsetsu, to be the official potter. For 400 years, the Miwa family has produced fine tea wares, sustaining the Hagi tradition.
Miwa Jusetsu (the former head of the Miwa family) is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics. The rich, white glaze seen here was developed only recently by Jusetsu and his brother, Miwa Kyûwa (1895–1981). The sharp, modern structure of the vase has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
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The Hagi kiln was founded by potters brought to Japan in the late sixteenth century following the powerful feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s invasions of Korea. In 1663, Miwa Kyûsetsu was summoned to be the official potter of the kiln and for over 400 years, the Miwa family has produced fine tea wares from it, continuing the Hagi tradition originated by their ancestor.
Miwa Jusetsu, head of the Miwa family from 1967 to 2003, is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics. The rich, white glaze seen here, called Kyûsetsu white, was developed by Jusetsu and his brother, Miwa Kyûwa (1895–1981). The sharp, modern structure of the vase also has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
It is a vertically long, rectangular shaped vase. The body is slightly tilted; its four corners are shaved from the top to the bottom. The clay color is orange-yellow; the body is glazed with porous, milky white ash glaze. The bottom edge of the body and the bottom are unglazed. It has no foot.
Subject Matter
The vase is perhaps intended to have a single flower and to be displayed in a tea room alcove.
Label Copy
Miwa Jusetsu
Japan, b. 1910
Vase
Showa period (1926–1989)
circa 1960
Stoneware with feldspar and ash glaze
Gift of the artist, 1963/2.65
Tea bowl
Showa period (1926–1989)
circa 1960
Stoneware with feldspar and ash glaze
On loan from John and Susanne Stephenson
The Hagi kiln was founded by potters brought to Japan in the late sixteenth century following the powerful feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s invasions of Korea. In 1663, Miwa Kyûsetsu was summoned to be the official potter of the kiln and for over 400 years, the Miwa family has produced fine tea wares from it, continuing the Hagi tradition originated by their ancestor.
Miwa Jusetsu, head of the Miwa family from 1967 to 2003, is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics. The rich, white glaze seen here, called Kyûsetsu white, was developed by Jusetsu and his brother, Miwa Kyûwa (1895–1981). The sharp, modern structure of the vase also has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
(Turning Point exhibition, Spring 2010)
The Hagi kiln, on the westernmost shore of Honshû Island, was founded by a Korean potter—one of many skilled Korean craftsmen forcibly expatriated to Japan by Japanese armies that had invaded Korea in the late sixteenth century. Taking the name Miwa Kyûsetsu, he made tea wares for the exclusive use of the local military leader. For 400 years, his descendants have sustained the tradition of Hagi ware.
The current head of the family (known to many Michigan potters as Miwa Setsuo) is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics, in which the Momoyama period legacy is more a vestigial memory than an active presence. The rich, white glaze seen here, known as "White Hagi," was developed only recently, by the previous head of the Miwa line. The self-consciously modern shape of the vase has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001 February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
The Hagi kiln was founded by Korean potters who relocated to Japan in the late sixteenth century. In 1663, the local daimyo (feudal lord) summoned their descendent, the first Miwa Kyûsetsu, to be the official potter. For 400 years, the Miwa family has produced fine tea wares, sustaining the Hagi tradition.
Miwa Jusetsu (the former head of the Miwa family) is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics. The rich, white glaze seen here was developed only recently by Jusetsu and his brother, Miwa Kyûwa (1895–1981). The sharp, modern structure of the vase has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
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The Hagi kiln was founded by potters brought to Japan in the late sixteenth century following the powerful feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s invasions of Korea. In 1663, Miwa Kyûsetsu was summoned to be the official potter of the kiln and for over 400 years, the Miwa family has produced fine tea wares from it, continuing the Hagi tradition originated by their ancestor.
Miwa Jusetsu, head of the Miwa family from 1967 to 2003, is internationally known for his highly innovative ceramics. The rich, white glaze seen here, called Kyûsetsu white, was developed by Jusetsu and his brother, Miwa Kyûwa (1895–1981). The sharp, modern structure of the vase also has no precedent in earlier Hagi products.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
"One of two Shigaraki potters most active in the modern movement to recreate the authentic appearance of medieval Shigaraki ware through the use of appropriate materials and firing techniques. Rakusai's importance to the development of contemporary ceramic production in Shigaraki parallels that of Kaneshige Tôyô and Fujiwara Kei in Bizen or Nakazato Muan in Karatsu. ... In 1964 Rakusai was honored, along with Ueda Naokata IV (1899-1975) with the designation of Important Intangible Cultural Property of Shiga Prefecture." [Louise Cort, Curator's notes on Sackler Art Gallery object #S1998.157, 5 October 1998]
"Rakusai also moved away from copies of Momoyama-period forms. In 1958 he won the grand prize at the Brussels Worlds Fair for a large medieval-style jar with innovative impressed-rope and combing decor (Cort, _Shigaraki Potters' Valley_ 1979, fig. 51). Rakusai hosted several American 'apprentices' in his workshop in the 1960s and 1970s, including John Stephenson and Peter Callas." [Louise Cort, Curator's notes on Sackler Art Gallery object #S1998.157, 3 May 1999]
Note: John Stephenson is a potter living and working in Ann Arbor, MI. — M. Graybill, 10/2001.
26.67 cm x 12 cm x 12 cm (10 1/2 in. x 4 3/4 in. x 4 3/4 in.)
Physical Description
The vase uses Shigaraki clay and the wood-firing process. The deformities and imperfections are intentional, and in Iga style. It has a lopsided lip edge at the top, with a deep indentation circling the vase just below it. The texture of this piece is splotchy and ridged, and the colors are earth tones, ranging from tans to dark, forest greens.
Subject Matter
This is a flower vase made at the kiln in Shigaraki.
Label Copy
Takahashi Rakusai III
Japan, 1898–1976
Vase
Showa period (1926–1989)
1960–63
Stoneware with natural ash glaze
Museum purchase, 1963/2.77
Plate
Showa period (1926–1989)
circa 1960
Stoneware with natural ash glaze
Museum purchase, 1963/2.76
Takahashi Rakusai III, who came from a long line of Shigaraki potters, employed the same clay and wood-firing technique used in the jars and vases prized by tea masters of the Momoyama period (1583–1615) to create powerful and whimsical wares for the modern era. Although this vase has a classic form, Takahashi achieves a dynamic effect through the combination of rough surface and green ash glaze. The rectangular plate is more playful: the dots on the unglazed, scorched top are areas that were protected from the flame by cylindrical clay spacers.
(Turning Point, Spring 2010)
Momoyama pots could be both an inspiration and a burden for twentieth-century Japanese potters. One way they found to express personal creativity within tradition was to mix and match allusions to different regional models. (An imperfect analogy would be contemporary furniture in a "Southwestern" style done in mahogany, or a Chippendale reproduction piece in teak.) In this flower vase, Takahashi Rakusai exploits all of the potential of Shigaraki clay and the wood-firing process: compare the texture and color of the vase to the sixteenth-century Shigaraki jar on the platform at right. The overall shape and deliberate deformities, however, are copied from the wares of the neighboring kiln at Iga.
Takahashi welcomed many American potters to his Shigaraki studio over the years and his work is well represented in Michigan collections.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001-February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
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Takahashi Rakusai III, who came from a long line of Shigaraki potters, employed the same clay and wood-firing technique used in the jars and vases prized by tea masters of the Momoyama period (1583–1615) to create powerful and whimsical wares for the modern era. Although this vase has a classic form, Takahashi achieves a dynamic effect through the combination of rough surface and green ash glaze. The rectangular plate is more playful: the dots on the unglazed, scorched top are areas that were protected from the flame by cylindrical clay spacers.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
The flat iron plate with quatrefoil design. It has three holes: one for blade (middle) flanked by oval-shape hole (for kougai) and oval with bump shape (for kozuka). Chrysanthemums, autumn grass and a rock are carved on lower-right side; a butterfly is descending toward the flowers. Gold inlays are applied to the flowers, grass, part of the rock, and butterfly. The surface is finely granulated by etching (“ishime-ji”).
Subject Matter
Tsuba (sword guard) is inserted between a sword handle and blade to protect hands from sharp blades. The center hole is where the sword is placed. A smaller hole on the left is to place an ornamental stick, kozuka. Another hole on the right is to insert kougai, spatula-like sticks which are said to be used for itching hair underneath hats or helmets. Butterflies, chrysanthemums, autumn grass, and rock are popular motifs in Japanese decorative arts; the combination of chrysanthemums and grass suggests that this is an autumn scene.
Label Copy
Tsuba are intended to protect the user’s hand, first by shielding it against a blow from the opponent’s blade, and second by preventing it from slipping onto the razor-sharp edge of the weapon being wielded. Until the early seventeenth century, simply designed iron tsuba were dominant, as seen in the example here bearing a mushroom motif. When the Tokugawa regime required samurai warlords to travel regularly to the capital, Edo, and mandated that their wives and children reside there, considerations of urban fashion became more influential than battlefield practicalities in samurai attire and accessories. The tsuba became more an object of display than a functional item—a trend that further intensified when affluent merchants were permitted to carry swords in public and also began to demand attractive tsuba.
As is well represented by this collection, there was great artistic creativity at play in tsuba-making during the Edo period. The newly developed shakudô (a copper–gold alloy of a lustrous purple–black color) was used to create relief designs. Openwork chiseling was a versatile method for creating dramatic representations of family crests or light, airy, and elegant plant motifs.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
A lone flowering tree in a grassy scene, black background. The branches of the tree expand to either edge of the image and the grond appears to be slightly curved.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
This painting inculdes the seal of the artist Ren Xun. A crane stands in the foreground, with it's head and beak turned toward the viewer, revealing a patch of orangish red on its face. A pine tree arches across the background above.
Subject Matter
Ren Xun, best known for painting birds and animals, was the younger brother of Ren Xiong’s (1823–1857). This elegant painting of a crane, a symbol of immortality, and pine and bamboo, symbols of longevity, is appropriate for birthday or New Year’s gifts. To suggest the cold season, Ren Xun chose orange pigment to depict the pine needles.
Label Copy
Seal of the artist
Ren Xun, best known for painting birds and animals, was the younger brother of Ren Xiong’s (1823–1857) (see UMMA 1985/2.32). This elegant painting of a crane, a symbol of immortality, and pine and bamboo, symbols of longevity, is appropriate for birthday or New Year’s gifts. To suggest the cold season, Ren Xun chose orange pigment to depict the pine needles.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
A square ceramic inkwell with a motif of a bird on a branch on one side and a motif of flowers on the other. The base of the inkwell is beige and the pictures are green and black.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
A native of Shanghai, Zhang Gunian (Chang Ku-nien) first studied painting at the age of nine under the tutelage of his uncle. His work clearly embraces the free brushwork that flourished in Shanghai painting circles in the early part of the twentieth century. After his move to Taiwan, he frequently did scenes that reflected the accomplishments of the Nationalist Government in creating a modern China. He organized a group of like-minded colleagues as the "Seven Friends of Painting and Calligraphy," and together they often did collaborative works. His paintings and calligraphy were much admired in Taiwan and Japan in the second half of the twentieth century, although less known in the West. A major donation to UMMA of nearly forty paintings by Zhang Gunian, given by his son and daughter, will allow for serious study of this artist's work in North America.
Landscape colored with the bright hues of autumn. Pavilions are nestled among clouds and mountain forests. A rustic staircase appears between wisps of clouds and trees, winding up the slope next to waterfalls.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Flower shaped incense container consisting of two halves, which open horizontally. The top of the container has a subtle flower pattern that compliments the shape of the container and appears to have been stamped on the top. The color is a dark red on the very top of the container, with the color transitioning to a lighter reddish orange for the rest of the container.
Subject Matter
This is an incense container. The artist, Koyama Kyoko, struggled as a female potter in a trade dominated by male artists. She received recognition when she discovered a way to revive the forgotten techinique of natural ash glazes, which are commonly used in her work.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Flower shaped incesnse container consisting of two halves, which open horizontally, and fit together very precisely. Decorated with ash glaze, which gives the pottery a deep red color, deeper on the top and slightly lighter on rest of the container, with black as an accent color primarily on two sides of the container in a line going from the top of the piece to the bottom. The top of the container is very dramatically textured is a symetrical series of ridges which create the petals and shape of the flower.
Subject Matter
This is an incense container. The artist, Koyama Kyoko, struggled as a female potter in a trade dominated by male artists. She received recognition when she discovered a way to revive the forgotten techinique of natural ash glazes, which are commonly used in her work.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Circular tsuba, made of iron. Inside an exterior circle, eight smaller circles are placed with the same spacing. The eight circles are connected to the exterior circle as well as to the three center holes where kôgai, blade, and kozuka are placed. Each of the eight circles have a different family crests. The openwork technique seen here is called "marubori" (round carving). The surface is slightly textured by minute stippling.
Subject Matter
Family crests were important markers of the samurai class, in which military and political connections and blood and marriage relationships heavily weighed and determined one’s social status. This tsuba with eight different family crests alludes that the owner has some kind of relationship to eight different households or lineages; either of his own household (One household used more than one crest, although usually there was one dominant than other crests), his relatives or his allies.
Label Copy
Tsuba are intended to protect the user’s hand, first by shielding it against a blow from the opponent’s blade, and second by preventing it from slipping onto the razor-sharp edge of the weapon being wielded. Until the early seventeenth century, simply designed iron tsuba were dominant, as seen in the example here bearing a mushroom motif. When the Tokugawa regime required samurai warlords to travel regularly to the capital, Edo, and mandated that their wives and children reside there, considerations of urban fashion became more influential than battlefield practicalities in samurai attire and accessories. The tsuba became more an object of display than a functional item—a trend that further intensified when affluent merchants were permitted to carry swords in public and also began to demand attractive tsuba.
As is well represented by this collection, there was great artistic creativity at play in tsuba-making during the Edo period. The newly developed shakudô (a copper–gold alloy of a lustrous purple–black color) was used to create relief designs. Openwork chiseling was a versatile method for creating dramatic representations of family crests or light, airy, and elegant plant motifs.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
The lady stands against a bright green background with only a hint of physical setting. There are some ground lines at her feet with springs of red flowers and a simple stylized willow tree that curves around the figure. She stands with her body turning towards her right with her head in profile. She lifts a flower up in her right hand and hangs her left arms down past her waste. She wears tight lavender colored trousers with a diaphanous skirt covering them with a gold and colored brocaded scarf hanging down the center. Her breasts appear bare, but actually the blouse is also sheer, with a darker color at the shoulders and below her breasts. She wears gold brocade slippers and wide bracelets with black pompoms and rings, necklaces, earrings and a scarf hangs from her shoulders. A gold turban with a black aigrette crowns her. The portrait is framed with some gold and black lines and placed on a simple, buff colored border. An inscription in nastaliq‘ script is above the painting.
Subject Matter
The high plateau of south central India, known as the Deccan, was under the rule of Muslim courts from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. Painters were summoned from both Persia and the Mughal court to serve local rulers, but once ensconced in the Deccan, they worked in tandem with local artists to develop a distinctive regional style. This profile portrait of a young woman with a flower in her hand adheres to a composition frequently found in Mughal painting, but the surprising contrast of colors—the play of lavender trousers against a lime-green background—is fresh and appealing, and completely Deccani in taste. The stylized sprigs of flowers scattered in the foreground create both a shallow space cell for the figure and a decorative pattern, while the arching willow branches frame her proud visage.
Label Copy
March 28, 2009
In Persian poetry written at India’s courts, beautiful women were often compared with the graceful form of tree limbs. Like India’s ancient stone sculptures of yakshis (female nature spirits) intertwined with the branches of mango trees, this portrait presents a youthful lady beneath an umbrella of willow fronds. The willow’s arched form echoes the curvaceous hips and perfectly round breasts that are revealed through her diaphanous garment. Likely a courtesan, the lady tenders a flower to her face in a common gesture intended to liken its fragrance and form to her own. The seductive appeal of such portraits made the genre among the most common in Indian painting. This one comes from the Deccan plateau of south-central India, which was under the rule of Muslim courts from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries.
(Label for UMMA South and Southeast Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
Inscription
Inscription in Arabic above drawing, on old mat: No.9; 9; Illumination, a garden.
The inscription on the white paper framing the painting, in Persian by an unknown hand, can be translated as, “Rare unusual painting of Hyderabad Golkonda.”
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
An image of three cone-shaped foawflower blooms in the upper portion of the print. There is a lightsource from the top illuminating some of its leaves, making them visible against a dark background.
Inscription
plate 13 from Woodland Portraits, signed recto, signed and titled mount verso
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Inscription: While its blossoms are pleasing to look at, its bulb is pleasing to eat … Li Shan
Seal of the artist
Li Shan, a native of the Xinghua district in southern China (near the metropolitan center of Yangzhou), was born to an affluent family and given a classical education, proper for an aspiring government official. At the age of 27, he wrote a poem which won him a position at the court of the Manchu Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722). A mere four years later, however, he was dismissed for his role in arguing an unpopular position, and returned to him home district an embittered man. After Kangxi's death, Li returned to Beijing, and in 1737, after Kangxi's grandson Qianlong (1735–96) took the throne, he finally won a minor official position.
Although this work is not dated, the dark mood of the inscription suggests that it was painted during Li Shan's period of disenchantment: it reads,
The lily's blossoms are pleasing to look at, and it's bulb is delicious to eat.
Why are life's vicissitudes not this pleasant?
Regretfully, there are hypocritical people ...
Another painting from the same album as 'Day Lily and Bulb' in in the collection of the Historical Museum, Beijing.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
