The tea bowl is a small object that represents the whole Zen philosophy. Its modesty, restraint and quiet refinement exemplify the ideals of Zen. The importance of Zen Buddhism in Japan cannot be understated. Aside from being one of Japan’s major religious sects it has become very popular in the west as well. Zen informs Japan’s historical and national identity as well as its unique sense of aesthetics. This is why certain tea bowls are considered to be priceless national treasures.
These two bowls were glazed using the traditional Japaese raku firing technique. The word “raku” means “felicitous” (apt, or appropriate for the occasion); it indicates a free and easy attitude toward glazing.
Noble austerity, organic simplicity, and the kind beauty and refinement that only come with time can be seen in this rock garden. Wabi Sabi is the central aesthetic sensibility that inspires many of Japan’s most important sites and artifacts.
Wabi Sabi in contemporary ceramics
Many contemporary ceramic artists are inspired by traditional tea bowls and the aesthetic philosophy behind them. Here are a few Japanese artists who have applied the traditional aesthetic ideal to new work.
Yasuhisa Kohyama
Shiro Otani
Ryoji Koie
Zen Buddhism made its way to the US in the fifties and sixties. It inspired writers and poets like Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg and Gary Snyder. It also inspired artists who were working in clay at the time. Probably the most well known of these artists is Peter Voulkos. It is hard to say how devout Voulkos was as a Buddhist, but his admiration of the wabi sabi aesthetic is clear in this large platter.
This vessel by Jack Troy was fired in a traditional Anagama kiln. Troy was among the first American ceramic artists to build one of these traditional Japanese wood firing kilns in the US. Today these kinds of kilns and the aesthetic sensibility that espoused them are very common in the US, Canada and across Europe.
This is an Anagama kiln at the peak of a firing. By the time this shot was snapped it had already been heating up for days.
