Tetsu-yu 鉄釉

Box signed by Munakata Shiko 棟方 志功 (1903-1975).
Writing on the upper side of the tomobako: 御/go/honorific 櫛目/kushime/comb pattern 茶碗/chawan/tea bowl 鉄釉/tetsu-yu/iron glaze. Writing on the under side of the tomobako: 河井寛次郎/Kawai Kanjiro 先生/sensei/master 御製/gyosei/poem written by emperor 棟方志功/Munakata Shiko.

I asked Yanase san why Munakata used the kanji: 御製/gyosei/poem written by emperor. He responded: MUNAKATA was recognized by KAWAI and YANAGI MUNEYOSHI（柳宗悦) in 1936. Therefore, MUNAKATA came to think of KAWAI as a benefactor. Throughout his life, MUNAKATA respected KAWAI. It's as if the Japanese respect the emperor ... MUNAKATA cherished KAWAI that much (like the emperor). Therefore, it seems that he used "御製".

I also asked Yanase san about a sticker on the box with "K-26" written on it. He replied: Regarding the "K" index, an "exhibition" was held after Mr. Kawai's death. At that time, the work at Mr. Kawai's home was used. But it didn't have the original box. And at the time of the exhibition, Shiko Munakata was signing the boxes. This item may have been listed at that time. But this is just a guess. A catalog was also produced at the exhibition. But I don't own that catalog.

Kawai Kanjiro is best known as one of the leading figures of the Mingei movement, but his impact reaches far beyond. A conversation about his life’s work can easily turn into a discussion about the spirit and soul of what it means to be a maker and artist. His house, which is now restored as a museum, is the ultimate expression of his perspective on a life that he loved and embraced to the full.

Kawai (1890-1966) was born in Shimane prefecture to a family of carpenters. He aspired to be a potter and attended the Ceramic Industry Department at Tokyo Higher Technical School (today known as Tokyo Institute of Technology). Not long after his graduation, Kawai had a successful solo exhibition at a major department store in Tokyo in 1921 that cemented his success as a potter. He was especially famed for his mastery of various glazes and ancient Chinese and Korean techniques.

But as his popularity grew, Kawai became increasingly dissatisfied with his work. As a result, he joined the Mingei movement and after spending three years in seclusion, drastically changed his style and started to make functional pottery for everyday use. His style and creativity continued to develop in his later years when he produced many different forms of ceramics, woodcarvings, and literature.
In recognition of the profound impact that Kawai had on Japanese cultural life, the Japanese government sought to bestow on him the highly prestigious distinction as an Intangible Cultural Property of Japan –more popularly known as a Living National Treasure- and the Order of Culture Medal. But Kawai was not interested with such awards and turned them down. He also declined to be nominated to join the Japan Art Academy, which is the country’s most prestigious artistic organization.

While Kawai does not appear to have given any public explanation as to why he politely but firmly refused these accolades, I wonder if this was because he wanted to remain as a maker empowered by his work, rather than as an artist qualified by his fame. We often lose our ability to see when fame gets in the way. For Kawai, who said that “to see my new self, so I work”, he found joy in continuing to self-explore through the things that he could bring to life. This is obvious from the sheer volume of output that he accomplished during his lifetime.

Kawai also paid particular attention to how he lived his daily life, because he believed that “lifestyle is work, work is lifestyle”. In 1937, he designed his own house that was modeled after classic Japanese rural cottages from the Hida-Takayama area, and he called upon his own family of carpenters from Shimane to build it.

This house was Kawai’s residence, pottery studio and gallery with a climbing kiln in the back. But more importantly, it was a place that he filled with his favorite objects. Kawai said that, “one buys things, one buys oneself.” What we choose to acquire and surround ourselves with is a reflection of who we are. It is a simple but powerful observation that can be easily lost in today’s materialistic world. To this day, visitors are reminded of the pleasures of the humble and often forgotten everyday items that Kawai carefully selected for his home.

To me, the most moving aspect of visiting Kawai’s home was the warm, welcoming atmosphere of the space. Beyond the objects, the place was filled with friendliness that stemmed from his generosity of spirit and open mind.

Sagi Tamae, the granddaughter of Kawai, wrote about an episode in Kawai’s life in the commemorative issue of Honoho Geijutsu magazine in 2010 that offers an insight into who he was as a person. The story was about what happened when one of Kawai’s housekeepers broke his drying pots when she was trying to take in laundry that was on the pole in the garden of the house.
Tamae wrote that Kawai “ran out from his studio and quickly picked up the broken pieces in his apron and told the housekeeper, “don’t worry, don’t worry, just go inside. I can always make more.” Kanjiro was the type of person who worried more about the feelings of the housekeeper than the pots. He chose to become a potter and participate in the Mingei movement as he obviously loved ‘things’ but ultimately he was not fixated about any of them. To Kanjiro, what cannot be seen was far more important then what was visible.”
A visit to Kawai’s house is unlike a trip to a typical museum where ‘things’ are lined up to be admired. Kawai’s abode is a place to be inspired by the delightful life of an artist who never stopped exploring his inner self.

Through his home that he left behind, Kawai continues to share ideas that may enrich our own lives and help us to discover ourselves. All we need is a childlike curiosity and an open mind to be inspired. Kawai affectionately called this amazing human ability “to be surprised by the act of being surprised” and acknowledged its utmost importance throughout his long and productive life.
http://www.studiokotokoto.com/2014/12/30/beyond-the-object-visiting-kawai-kanjiros-house-in-kyoto/

無位無冠の陶工ですが、世界的に評価は高く
木彫、金工、随筆と多彩な才能を発揮し
近代陶芸界に大きな業績を残した日本を代表する名工です。

初期は中国・朝鮮古陶磁の技法に独創性を加えた作品で新人ながら脚光を浴び、のち「用の美」を意識した暮らしの中に溶け込む作風へと転換。晩年も新たな分野に挑戦し、自身の心の内を陶芸という形にとらわれることなく自由に表現しました。どの時代の作品も完成度は高く、今なお人々を魅了し続けています。
. 本作は茶碗を河井寛次郎が制作し箱書を棟方志功が書いた
珍しい作品。作品名も御櫛目茶碗鉄釉」と御の文字を加え
志功が敬愛する寛次郎を敬う姿勢をよく表している。

Munakata Shiko 棟方 志功 (1903-1975) is a dominant figure in Japanese twentieth-century prints. He was also very active as a poet, critic, painter in both Western and Japanese techniques, calligrapher and book designer. Munakata was born in Aomori in northern Honshu, the sixth of fifteen children of a forger of steel blades. Leaving school at thirteen, he joined the family business, but moved to a lawyer's office at seventeen, which gave him time to sketch. In 1921 he first saw reproductions of Van Gogh's works, which remained arguably his greatest inspiration throughout his life, and began to teach himself oil-painting. He moved to Tokyo in 1924, and lived by various means including drawing educational charts while continuing to paint He was accepted at the Teiten (Imperial Exhibition) in 1928. He became inspired by woodblock prints and by 1927 was experimenting with woodblocks. The following year he had his first prints accepted at the Creative Print Association Exhibition. In 1931 he had his first one-man show of prints in Tokyo. Munakata began to write in 'Han geijutsu' magazine in 1932, which brought him into contact with Maekawa Senpan and the folk style. He fell into the circle of the Folk Art Movement with its great potter Kawai Kanjiro, and in 1936 he spent 40 days at Kawai's house where he developed a Buddhist dimension to add to his already strong folk and Shinto interests and subject-matter. The two remained lifelong friends. His home in Tokyo was destroyed in the second world war, and he spent seven years in Toyama, at the end of which his work was accepted in São Paolo in 1951, which marks the beginning of his subsequent international career. In 1952 he helped establish the Japanese Print Institute. In 1952 he won a prize at Lugano and in 1955 the first prize for prints at the São Paolo Biennale, and in 1956 at the Venice Biennale. These made his reputation not only internationally but also at home, where he now became a celebrity and was subsequently heaped with honours culminating with the 'Kunsho' (Order of Merit) in 1970. The Munakata Memorial Museum in Aomori opened the day after his funeral. There is also a museum devoted to his prints in Kamakura, while large collections of his works are in the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, the Folk Art Museum, Tokyo, and the Ohara Museum Complex in Kurashiki.