TANIMOTO Takashi Iga Hanaire Vase

Description

Tanimoto Takashi’s Iga hanaire vase embodies the classical form of Iga ware used in the tea ceremony and is immediately recognisable by its characteristic “ears” (mimi, 耳). From the traces left by the wood firing to its asymmetrical, distorted and partially contorted form, it becomes the very embodiment of Iga’s wabi-sabi aesthetic: imperfect, marked by transience, and reduced to the essential. The quiet yet striking beauty of this almost sombre vase lies in the balance between deformation and the natural marks left by the fire — so pronounced that they seem almost to eclipse the hand of the artist himself.

Für diese Iga-Hanaire-Vasen verwendet Tanimoto den lokalen, hochwertigen Iga-Ton, der denselben geologischen Ursprung wie der Shigaraki-Ton teilt. Gebrannt wurde die Vase im Anagama-Ofen seines Großvaters, wo sie intensiver Hitze, Glut und Asche ausgesetzt war. So entstehen die typischen Yōhen-Effekte (窯変, Änderung durch Feuer) wie Koge (焦げ, Verkohlung) und Bidoro (ビードロ, glasartige Perlenbildung).

Iga hanaire gained particular significance during the Momoyama period, when deliberately rough and irregular vessels came to be highly valued in the tea ceremony. Displayed in the tokonoma alcove, they serve as vessels for simple floral arrangements, presenting a restrained, seasonal composition in which vessel and nature form a quiet unity. Their characteristic “ears” (mimi, 耳) refer to their original carrying function, while also shaping the dynamic and intentionally irregular form of the vessel.

Tanimoto Takashi’s Iga hanaire is presented in a signed paulownia wood box.

TANIMOTO TAKASHI – MITA GAMA

Tanimoto Takashi, the third-generation potter of the Mita-gama kiln in Iga, is deeply rooted in the tradition of Iga ware, shaped by tea culture and the aesthetics of wabi-sabi. His works possess a powerful presence marked by the traces of fire, reflecting his interpretation of clay and firing through an almost destructive yet artfully decadent visual language.