Seigan Yamane, Hagi ware, Japan

Hagi ware by Seigan Yamane

Hagi ware. Summer chawan by Yamane Seigan, Japan.

Yamane Seigan, Hagi ware cup



 

Hagi ware teabowl with crawled shino by Seigan Yamane

Yamane Seigan chawan

Japanese Hagi ware chawan with tenmoku glaze by Seigan Yamane

Seigan Yamane was born in 1952 and is a member of the Hagi Association of Ceramic Artists. He is self taught and works out of the Kousaian Kiln, which he opened in 1987.

It is said that Yamane gets up at 5 o’clock every morning in order to climb a nearby mountain to watch the sunrise and then begins potting by 8 o’clock. He continues with this throughout the day until stopping in mid-evening to eat. He says that it is the whole creative process rather than just the end product that he finds fulfilling.

A chawan by Yamane with a signed wooden box.



This chawan has a "cut foot ring" which is something found on some Hagi chawan. Here's the foot but it's probably more obvious in the first image.

This bottle with a metallic glaze has a later red seal mark on the box.



The base being unglazed shows the impressed potter's mark. Unfortunately this image is too small to show it well, so I will try and find a larger image if I can.

This is the best that I can do with the mark above.

Of all of the typical Hagi glazes it is the white "Oni Hagi" glaze that I like the best. The literal translation of Oni Hagi is Demon Hagi. This refers to the cracks in the glaze that show the bare clay body where "demons" are said to be able to hide. In Japan this is seen as a good omen, as they are said to be there to protect you on your journey.

The glaze is also said to resemble Cherry Blossom that is also has a special significance in the Japanese psyche.

Here's a handle vase by Yamane showing this glaze.


and the lid of the signed wooden box that went with the vase.

Yamane is known for his blue glaze, which he calls "Seigan Blue".

Seigan Yamane made a series of bowls in different single glaze colours; red, yellow, green, blue etc 

A chawan with a brown crawling glaze from c 2005