Peeler Ceramic Art Films - Potters of Japan Part Two PART 2 INCLUDES: Mr. Rakusai at Shigaraki Takuo Kato at Tajimi Mr. Kaneshige at Bizen Mr. Shimaoka at Mashiko Raku Pottery at Kyoto color * 15 minutes *
Oh my God ... I went to a Japanese Buddhist festival today and it reminded me of this film that I saw long long ago when I was a kid. I loved it then and I'm so glad to find this on You-Tube. It reminds me of why I had such respect for the Japanese and Asian artistic sensibility. This series is just amazing. 7000 years they said the have been making pottery in Japan! Thanks for posting this.
Do you mean the clay from Bizen? I think it is due to a large amount of decayed organic material - I have read that this causes glaze problems (probably blistering from escaping carbon dioxide as it burns out during firing) and that this is why Bizen ware is traditionally unglazed. Another possibility is iron oxide, which gives fired Bizen ware its reddish brown color. Iron occurs in raw clay in two forms: red, the most common form, which is Fe2O3, and black, which is Fe3O4. The dark color might also be due to the presence of black iron oxide, but my guess is organic matter.
