5 Expert Books to Deepen Your Japanese Pottery
As time goes by, I see that I am learning more and more about this strange place called Japan, its traditions and customs. About the way things here are done. I feel there is more and more to learn. I want to share some of the reading accompanying my everyday learning here.
The Japanese Pottery Handbook
By: Penny Simpson, Lucy Kitto, Kanji Sodeoka, Ken Matsuzaki and Philip Leach.
The Japanese Pottery Handbook is an incredible find for anyone interested in Japanese pottery. What makes it so great is the step-by-step approach, the wonderfully simple sketches and its practicality. It is, in fact, a manual or a dictionary more than anything. Techniques, materials, tools and more are shown alongside their Japanese names and different uses.
Available here: The Japanese Pottery Handbook
Shoji Hamada: A Potter's Way and Work
By: Susan Peterson
Shōji Hamada was an important Japanese potter, born on 9 December 1894. Along with Bernard Leach, he had a major influence on twentieth-century studio pottery, was a major figure in the Mingei (folk art) movement, and is credited with establishing the town of Mashiko as a world-renowned pottery centre. His influence in England and the USA, as well as in his native Japan, cannot be underestimated. In 1955, the Japanese government named him a "Living National Treasure," this book details his life and work.
Available here: Shoji Hamada: A Potter's Way and Work
A Potter's Book
by Bernard Leach (Author)
This indispensable book was the first to be written by a potter on the workshop traditions handed down by Koreans and Japanese from the greatest period of Chinese ceramics in the Sung dynasty. It covers four types of pottery: Japanese raku, English slipware, stoneware and oriental porcelain. It helps potters learn how to adapt pigment, glaze recipes, and kiln designs to local conditions. It gives a vivid picture of a potter's workshop, from start to finish, and speaks eloquently of the position of the individual or artist-potter in an industrial age. It is a book primarily intended for practical craftspeople and students. Still, it will also appeal to all lovers of ceramics and those interested in cultural exchange between East and West.
Available here: A Potter's Book
Wild Clay: Creating ceramics and glazes from natural and found resources
by Matt Levy, Takuro Shibata, Hitomi Shibata
Although this book is not directly about Japanese ceramics, some of the authors are Japanese and in general this book is a great help to anyone who wants to understand the basics of clay, clay making and the foundations of this craft.
In the end, all clay is wild clay, it is just a question of who is the one to harvest it. Potters all over the world go out into the local countryside to dig up their own wild clay, discover its unique properties and apply them to their craft. This guide is the ideal starting point for anyone - from beginners, improvers and experts to teachers and students - who wants to forge a closer connection between their craft and their environment.
Available on: Wild Clay: Creating ceramics and glazes from natural and found resources
Natural Glazes: Collecting and Making
by Miranda Forrest
Again, sorry, this may not be as Japanese as the title of the blog suggests, but this book too contains some basic knowledge that is essential to begin any kind of exploration.
Like clay, all glaze materials come from the earth. Traditionally, stones, plants and other natural materials have provided the elements for ceramic surface decoration. In an age of synthetic and mass-produced glazes, handmade glazes from locally sourced ingredients allow artists to create unique pieces that reflect their surrounding landscapes. In Natural Glazes, Miranda Forrest guides the reader through the process of experimentation and discovery to create amazing hues from organic materials.
Whether mixing a glaze from scratch or adding local ingredients to a commercial glaze, this accessible book teaches the essential steps.
Find it here: Natural Glazes: Collecting and Making
