Hakuji

Hakujiwhite porcelainArita warehexagonal bowls and dishes, late Edo period to early Meiji era, 1840–1870

Dehua kiln statue of BuddhistKannonused for Christian veneration in Japan

Hakujisake setdesigned byMasahiro Mori(1977)

Hakuji(Bạch từ)is a form ofJapanese pottery and porcelain,normally white porcelain, which originated as an imitation of ChineseDehua porcelain.Today the term is used in Japan to refer to plain white porcelain.

It is always plain white without colored patterns and is often seen as bowls, tea pots, cups and other Japanese tableware. It was also used for small figurines, mostly for Buddhist and sometimes Christian religious figures and Japanese genre figures. Like other plain wares, it was appropriate use for various types of vessels for religious use. It was originally developed for the Japanese market, but became one ofJapanese export porcelain.

History

Dehua white porcelain is traditionally known among Japanese ashakugoraior "Korean White Ware". Although Korai is a term for an ancientKoreankingdom, the term also functioned as a ubiquitous term for various products from the Korean peninsula.

This is not to suggest that historically Japanese were entirely oblivious to the existence of the Fu gian province kilns and their porcelain, now known as Dehua orBlanc de Chineware (a French term for Chinese white porcelain which is in common usage in the West).

The Dehua kilns are located inFu gian province,opposite the island of Taiwan, was traditionally a trade center for the Chinese economy with its many ports and urban centers. Fu gian white ware was meant for all of maritime Asia.

However, a large quantity of these ceramics were intended for a Japanese market before drastic trade restrictions by the mid 1600s. Items were largely Buddhist images and ritual utensils utilized for family altar use. Wares associated with funerals and the dead have perhaps led to a certain disinterest in this ware among present day Japanese, despite an intense interest in other aspects of Chinese ceramic culture and history.

Many examples of the great beauty of this ware have made their way to collections in the west from Japan. Among the countless Buddhist images meant for the Japanese market are those with strongly stylized robes that show an influence from theKano Schoolof painting that dominatedTokugawa Japan.It seems certain that Dehua white ware was made with Japanese taste in mind.

The plain white incense tripods and associated objects for Japanese religious, ritual observance and the Buddhist Goddesses of Mercy with child figurines that closely resemble the ChristianMadonna and Childare designed specifically for a Japanese market. Such figurines were known as Maria Kannon or "Blessed Virgin Goddesses of Mercy" and were part of the "hidden Christian"culture of Tokugawa Japan, which had strictly banned the religion.

White porcelain Buddhist statuary was extensively produced in Japan at theHiradokilns and elsewhere. The two wares can be easily distinguished. Japanese figures are usually closed on the base and a small hole for ventilation can be seen. Hirado ware also displays a slightly orange tinge on unglazed areas.

In the early 1600s, LordNabeshima Naoshige(1537–1619) of theSaga Domainbrought over a number of Korean potters, including the potter Ri Sampei (Yi Sam Pyong).In 1616, they discovered a superior white-stoned clay at a mountain in Arita. This clay was used for the production of Japanese white porcelain. The production ofHakujiin Arita also continued during the Meiji era.

Hakujiis still produced today for various vessels.Masahiro Morihas designed a number of modernHakujiware. Another artist is Seigo Nakamura, who is an Arita ware artist,and Inoue Manji.The retail companyMujibrought out its own line ofHakujihome ware, which is produced out of ground translucentAmakusastones kneaded into clay, using traditional techniques.

Hakujiwas declared in 1995 by the government to be anIntangible Cultural Propertyof Japan.

Seihakuji

Another type isseihakuji(Xanh trắng từ)porcelain, where the glaze has subtle colour gradations of icy, bluish white.In Chinese this type of glaze is known asQingbai ware,which is more greenish-white in colour, and is therefore also considered a form ofceladon(Thanh từ,seiji).Qingbai's history goes back to the Song dynasty. It is biscuit-fired and painted with a glaze containing small amounts of iron. This turns a bluish colour when fired again.

Some of the artisans who specialise inseihakujiare Fukami Sueharu,Suzuki Osamu,and Yagi Akira.Kaiji Tsukamoto(Trủng bổn mau kỳ)(1912–1990) was nominated aLiving National Treasurein 1983 for his works inSeihakuji.

Other sources

• Shanghai Art Museum,Fu gian Ceramics and Porcelain,Chinese Ceramics, vol. 27, Kyoto, 1983.
• Kato Tokoku,Genshoku toki daijiten(A Dictionary of Ceramics in Color), Tokyo, 1972, p. 777.

External links

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