La técnica implementada para la creación de Yachimun (alfarería en el dialecto nativo de Okinawa) en el reino de Ryukus fue importada de China a mediados del siglo XIV y después fue influenciado por la alfarería japonesa y coreana. Su construcción robusta y distintivos diseños creados a mano fueron las características de la cerámica de Okinawa. Incluyendo platos, contenedores de sake, jarrones, floreros, porta incienso, lámparas y tazas, los alfareros producían piezas de gran calidad debido a los métodos tradicionales implementados y al mismo tiempo realizaban la promoción del desarrollo de nuevas técnicas. Un gran numero de jóvenes e innovadores alfareros se encuentran activos realizando esta artesanía en Okinawa.
La alfareria Tsuboya se encuentra dividida por dos estilos llamados Ara-yachi y Jo-yachi, la alfarería Ara-yachitiene un color marron y su textura es notablemente robusta mientras que la alfareríaJo-yachi utiliza esmaltes y su textura es suave, cada estilo de alfarería tiene diferente tipo de barro y temperatura de horneado.
El principal material para la realización de la alfarería Ara-yachi proviene del sur del área de Okinawa, una de las características es que dicho estilo carece de esmaltes o los ornamentos de barro forman parte de su decoración. La temperatura para el horneado para la alferaria Ara-yachi es alrededor de 1120ºC.
La alfarería estilo Ara-yachi puede ser encontrada en la elaboración para grandes talleres de alfarería con el propósito principal de almacenaje, por ejemplo: agua o contenedores de miso (pasta tradicional japonesa realizada por fermentación de frijoles de soya). La alfarería Ara-yachi se desarrollo mediante la actividad de comercio con el Sureste asiático en el siglo XV y XVI, y fue inspirado por el método de fabricación de contenedores para licor de dicha región de Asia. Se produjo incialmente en el area de Kina de la villa Yomitan y fue ideal para el añejo del awamori (licor de Okinawa).
La alfarería estilo Joyachi se introdujo por primera vez a Okinawa por los alfareros coreanos. Enormes avances en su desarrollo fueron realizados por el alfarero llamado Tentsu Hirata. Con el paso de los años el estilo Jo-yachi realizo la transición de ser utilizado para artículos utilitarios de la vida diaria a objetos de arte fino.
El barro utilizado para el estilo Jo-yachi proviene de la parte de norte de Okinawa y su temperatura de horneado es de 1200ºC, durante el proceso de horneado un proceso único de fundición en el esmalte ocurre, cuando el calor alcanza la temperatura requerida el esmalte empieza a funcionarse con el material por consecuencia provoca que el esmalte llegue a ser tan duro como el vidrio, este punto es importante ya que al finalizar la pieza llega a ser mas dura. Esta técnica nos muestra una gran variedad de colores basada en los colores de los esmaltes representativos de Okinawa. Jo-yachi es usado para los utensilios de la vida diaria, como: tazas, tazones, platos y recipientes de té.
El rango de los diferentes colores en el estilo Ara-yachi depende de la combinación del barro, el barro oscuro y el de color rojizo, el porcentaje podrá variar dependiendo del producto que se fabrique o el efecto que el alfarero prefiera pero el porcentaje normal usado es el siguiente: barro oscuro 70% y barro rojo 30%.
El esmalte que se utiliza para el estilo Jo-yachi esta realizado con materiales locales de Okinawa, los cuales han estado disponibles desde la antigüedad, tales como; coral y la cascara del arroz.
Ambos estilos son horneados es un horno Noborigama, un Noborigama登り窯 es un horno con cámaras internas colocadas de forma ascendente, esta también construido sobre una pendiente, y cada cámara consecuente se encuentra situada mas alto que la anterior de esta. Las cámaras en un horno Noborigama son perforadas en los intervalos con puntos claves para avivar el calor, tal como los hornos ascendentes que han estado vigentes en Japón desde el siglo XVII.
Investigación y fotografía: Herminio Menchaca
Taller: Alfarería Ikutouen, mostrando su técnica peculiar y única llamada Kaki-otoshi, decoración mediante el rascar o grabar sobre la superficie de una capa.
Tsuboya Ceramic
The technique employed in creating yachimun (pottery in the Okinawan dialect) in the Ryukyus was imported from China around the middle of the 14th century and was later influenced by Japanese and Korean ceramics. Sturdy construction and distinctive hand-created designs are the unique characteristics of Okinawan pottery. Including plates, sake bottles, vases, flowerpots, incense burners, light shades and coffee cups, potters produce quality pieces by employing traditional methods and at the same time promote the development of new techniques. Some young and innovative potters are actively participating in the art.
Ara-yachi and Jo-yachi pottery divide Tsuboya pottery. Ara-yachi pottery has a brownish color, and its texture is quite rough; meanwhile, the Jo-yachi uses glaze, and its texture is soft, each pottery has a different type of clay and baking temperature.
The main material for the making of this kind of pottery comes from the south area of Okinawa, one of its characteristics is that it is a lack of glaze or clay ornaments are part of the decoration of the pottery. The baking temperature for Ara-yachi pottery is around 1120 centigrade celsius.
Ara-yachi pottery can be found in the elaboration for prominent potteries with the primary purpose of storage, for example, water and miso containers. Ara-yachi pottery developed from trade with Southeast Asia in the 15th and 16th centuries and was inspired by exposure to that region’s method of making liquor storage jars. It was first produced in the Kina area of Yomitan Village and is ideally suited to aging awamori.
Jo-yachi pottery was first introduced to Okinawa by Korean potters. Tremendous advances in its development were made by a potter named Tentsu Hirata. Over the years, Joyachi made the transition from serving as items for everyday use to objects of fine art.
The clay that is used for the Jo-yachi pottery comes from the north part of Okinawa and its baking temperature is approximately 1200 centigrade. During the process of baking an existing unique glaze melting process occurs, when the heat reaches the required temperature the glaze starts to melting down and later on it becomes hard enough such as glass, this critical stage makes the pottery even harder. This ceramic has a rich variety of colors based on the different glaze colors from Okinawa. Jo-yachi pottery is used for daily products such as cups, bowls, plates, and teacups.
The range of different colors on the Ara-yachi pottery depends on the combination of two colors of clay, the dark and the red clay, the percent will vary depends on the product you manufacture or the effect you prefer but the average percent used is dark clay 70% and red clay 30%.
The glaze that is used for the Jo-yachi pottery is made with local materials from Okinawa that have been available since ancient times such as coral and rice shell.
Both pottery styles are baked in a Noborigama kiln; a Noborigama 登り窯 is a chambered climbing kiln is also built on a slope, and each succeeding chamber is situated higher than the one before it. The chambers in a noborigama are pierced at intervals with stoking ports. Such climbing kilns have been used in Japan since the 17th century.
Research and photos by Herminio Menchaca
Company: Ikutouen Pottery, employing its usual and unique technique named Kaki-otoshi, decoration by scratching or engraving the surface of the layer.
Kawara no solo son tejas para techo que protegen las viviendas, sino también brindan una protección mística al hogar.
El origen del Kawara japonés proviene a finales del siglo VI con la llegada del Budismo cuando fue traído a Japón de China a través de Corea. Se establece que las tejas y adornos mas antiguos se utilizaron en los techos del Templo Asuka en la Prefectura de Nara (sur de Kioto). Fueron realizados bajo la dirección de 5 maestros artesanos en teja provenientes del suroeste del reino de Corea. En esos días, el centro político de Japón se localizaba en Nara y los oficiales de la corte fueron afiliados para gobernar la nación con el poder del Budismo. El principal objetivo del Kawara fue el de proteger los techos de los edificios de desastres naturales o inclemencias del tiempo, lluvia y aire, pero lo que fue mas importante, fue que los habitantes pedían sus deseos a las figuras que adornaban los remates de los techos con el fin de pedir una protección mística para la familia y a la vez demostrar una elegancia a través del diseño.
Diseños tradicionales, como en los que se podían ver en un templo Japonés o en una casa de té, diversos adornos acompañaban los techos de estos en donde se podrían apreciar una gran variedad de formas y tamaños. El color mas tradicional usado para el estilo de casa de té japonés o templo es el color Negro Japonés. Este color se origino en China y fue traído a Japón hace 1400 años. Negro Japonés, llamado “Ibushi” en Japón, es un color ahumado y se adhiere de forma consistente por toda la pieza del Kawara.
Kawara are not only roof tiles that protect houses from damage, but also function to mystically protect a house.
The origin of Japanese kawara dates back to the late 6th century with arrival of Buddhism when they were brought to Japan from China via Korea. It is said that Japan's oldest roof tiles were used in Asuka Temple in Nara Prefecture (south of Kyoto). They were made under the direction of four tile craftsmen dispatched from the southwestern Korean kingdom. In those days, Japan's political center was in Nara and the court officers were keen to rule the nation with the power of Buddhism. The primary role of kawara was to protect the roofs of buildings from rain and wind, but what was more important, was that people put their wishes in kawara for mystical protection as well as demonstrating elegance with their design.
Traditional designs, as in a Japanese style temple or teahouse, will feature ornaments in various shapes and sizes. The most traditional color used for a Japanese style teahouse or temple is the C09 Japanese Black. This color originated in China and was brought to Japan over 1400 years ago. Japanese Black, called “Ibushi” in Japan, is smoked and is a through body color.
Typical example of kawara, being a symbol of people's wish is the oni-gawara. Oni-gawara are roof tiles or statues depicting a Japanese demon (oni) or a fearsome beast. Prior to the Heian period (794-1185), similar ornaments with floral and plant designs (hana-gawara) preceded the oni-gawara. The present design is thought to have come from a previous architectural element. During the Nara period (710-794) the tile was decorated with other motifs, but later it acquired a distinct demon-like feature and became strongly tridimensional. Oni-gawara are most often found on Buddhist temples.
Manufacture process
1. Mining the Original Soil
Kikuma-Gawara, composed of 60% of Sanuki-clay and 40% of Gomi-clay that is mined within the city, is made with the suitable fine qualified clay that is carefully selected.
2. Blending the Soil
Each of the original clay has different contents and the ratio of water included; in this process, both of the clays are crushed into pieces and blended with a proper quantity of moisture.
3. Letting the Clay Stand
Within the blended clay, each kind of clay is still full of their distinctive sharpness that distracts the harmony and stability of the blend; thus in order to make an arrangement, this process called "killing," with letting the clay stand for 10 days covered by a clothe, literary kills the sharpness and follows stability of the condition of the clay.
4. Molding of Rough Clay
The original blended clay is evacuated in a machine still more, and at last, molded into a shape of Kawara, the Japanese tile roof. The original clay is called Araji or Soji, and the respective region's cooperative association of ceramics produces it, and delivers to each office of the region.
5. Press Molding
Delivered clay is let stand for 4 to 10 days at the factory again, and put into the pressing machine that molds the clay into each shape of tiles. For those unique shapes of tiles, since they cannot be molded on a machine, craftsmen mold the clay by hand. In fact, it is one of the distinctive features of Kikuma-Gawara in that it is handmade by a sophisticated craftsmen with their special techniques.
6. Polishing
The molded clay is finished with isinglass; and this process is called "Migaki (polishing)" in which the molded clay is re-processed on its surface. In the course of drying itself, molded clay is apt to warp; accordingly, "migaki" protects the clay from distortion and emphasizes the brightness on the surface. Needless to say, this traditional technique by hand is another unique feature of Kikuma-Gawara.
7. Drying
The polished tile is shade-dried for roughly 5 days; this process is to decrease distortion. Since abrupt drying causes deterioration, it is ideal to dehydrate the tile in a condition as natural as possible such as to dry in the remaining heat of the kiln. Now, the properly dehydrated tile is called "Shiroji"; and apply cover coat on this "Shiroji" that is to be fired in the kilt.
8. Calcination
The tiles are burnt in the modern technique of gas-fired kiln; using butane as the fuel, 1000 to 1500 tiles are burnt in a kiln at a time. They are burnt at a temperature in a range of 1000 to 1050℃and then, closed up tight for smoking for almost 20 hours. The silver brightness is marked on the tiles in this process, and it is also a moment when the traditional technique comes to life.
9. Inspection and Forwarding
The finished tiles are closely inspected one by one. After passing the tests which examine the hardness, the size, the curves, the smoked color, and water absorbency, the uniform products are shipped. For the qualified Kikuma-Gawara, Ehime Pref. designates them as the traditional products and guarantees the qualification.
In the Edo period (17-19c), the roof-tile was used in building Matsuyama castle; also in Meiji period (19-20c), it was used in building the Imperial Palace with blessing for the prosperity; moreover, nowadays, the roof-tile is not just for official or religious buildings.It enriches local people's lives, protects the roofs of Japanese buildings and hands down the beauty of Japanese architecture to the present.
10. The Product
There are roughly 50 kinds of roof-tiles in the Japanese style that protect the roofs. The basic tile is called Zigawara, literally meaning the roof-tile of the ground; for the tile for specific use is called Yakugawara, meaning the roof-tile of a role; and the symbolic tile of the roof is called Onigawara, meaning the roof-tile of demon. Kawaras are distinctively different in the sizes depending on where they are from and their usage; speaking of Kikuma, its size is said to be the best size to make the roof look beautiful.
Onigawara is a traditional ornamental roof tile with Japanese ogre face design, which is generally found on the edge of the roof in the Japanese architecture
Odate magewappa is one of the best-known traditional crafts in Akita. Historically made in Odate City, the wa in wappa means ‘ring,’ while mage means ‘to bend.’ forming the word magewappa, wooden boards are soaked in hot water until they become soft enough to be bent into cylinders. Odate magewappa is made from natural Akita cedar, which has a beautiful, straight grain. The tree’s slow growth in Akita’s cold temperatures leads to the dense annual rings that result in this unique and delicate grain, going on to create the broad rings that mark magewappa’s distinctive natural design. The bent wood is then fixed in place with attractive, reddish-brown cherry bark inserted into the connecting joint.
I decided to visit three different companies and workshops where I had the opportunity to see the entire manufacturing process of each business. They differ from the number of the staff, productivity, and machinery but both share the same technique and craft history, the name of the companies are: Kurikyu Magewappa, Odate Kougeisya and Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten.
Japanese cedar is antiseptic and has a high capacity for moisture absorption, which is useful in preventing food from rotting. This makes magewappa bins and bento lunch boxes ideal containers for rice. In fact, a recent boom in homemade bento has drawn people away from store-bought meals, boosting sales of magewappa lunch boxes to the point that production can’t keep up with demand.
Research and photos by Herminio Menchaca.
Magewappa de Odate es una de las técnicas mas reconocidas de Akita. Históricamente dicha técnica nació en la ciudad de Odate, la palabra “wa” significa anillo o circulo, mientras que la palabra “mage” significa doblar. Para poder llevar a cabo el magewappa, laminas de maderas son sumergidas en agua caliente hasta lograr que sean suaves para poder doblarse y convertirse en cilindros. Magewappa de Odate esta hecha con cedro natural de Akita, el cual tiene una veta completamente hermosa. El lento crecimiento de los arboles en la temperatura fría de Akita nos lleva a los anillos anuales densos que dan lugar a este veta única y delicada, la cual creara los grandes anillos que marca el diseño natural distintivo del magewappa. El cedro doblada pasa a la ultima etapa en la cual es considerada atractiva debido a que se inserta la piel café-rojiza de la corteza del árbol de cerezo con la función de ser un inserto ensamble.
Decidí visitar tres diferentes compañías y talleres donde tuve la oportunidad de observar y analizar por completo el proceso de manufactura de cada compañía, encontré algunas diferencias como: el número de trabajadores, productividad y maquinaria pero existen también similitudes la cual se basa en la técnica de fabricación y el respeto a la historia de esta técnica. El nombre de las compañías son: KURIKYU Magewappa, Odate Kougeisya y Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten.
El cedro japonés es antiséptico y tiene una alta capacitad para la absorción de humedad, lo cual es útil para prevenir que la comida pueda descomponerse. Esto caracteriza a los contenedores y almacenadores de comida de magewappa los cuales son ideales para el arroz. De hecho, se ha generado un repunte en los almacenadores caseros en donde las personas ha dejado de consumir comida empaquetada de tiendas de conveniencia, aumentando las ventas de contendedores de magewappa al punto que la producción no pudo ofertar la demanda que el mercado requería.
Investigación y fotografía por Herminio Menchaca.
Oke's history (with a separate bottom plate) in Japan can be traced back to the Nara period (710-794). In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), sake became popular in Japan and many huge wooden oke for brewing sake were being made. In the Edo era, a variety of wooden washbasins and other bath items became widely used. Until quite recently, hand-made wooden oke was seen and used in many situations in Japan, before plastic products became major tools in our busy lives. It is said that there used to be at least one oke shop in each community town in Kyoto, and until around 60 years ago. There were about 200 oke stores, but now as plastic products occupy the market, the remaining numbers of the specialty shops have decreased to only 3 or 4 in the city, including Okesho おけ庄.
Okesho established about 250 years ago near the end of the Edo era (1603-1868), located on the west of Kenninji Temple, on Yamato-oji's busy street where quite a few traditional houses and shops are still lined. It has been making Japanese handmade oke (wooden tubs), not only for the temples, shrines and excellent Kyoto cuisine ryotei restaurants but also as well for households for daily use. These handmade wooden tools are mainly used in kitchens and Japanese baths. Mr. Yamamoto, Okesho's young 8th generation successor just inherited the shop and is now working hard every day making all kinds of beautiful okes.
Oke おけ
La historia del Oke en Japón puede tener sus orígenes desde el periodo Nara (710-794). En el periodo Muromacho (1336-1573), el licor del sake se convirtió popular en Japón y un gran número de grandes Okes de madera fueron realizados. En el periodo Edo, una variedad de lavabos de madera y otro artículos de baño se volvieron esenciales para su uso. Incluso en la actualidad, Okes de madera fueron vistos y usados en diversas situaciones en Japón, antes que los productos plásticos llegaran a ser los artículos con mayor presencia en nuestra vida diaria. Se dice que al menos existía un taller de Oke por cada comunidad en la ciudad de Kioto, alrededor de hace 60 años, existían aproximadamente 200 talleres de Oke pero ahora los productos plásticos ocupan la mayoría de la demanda del mercado, el número de talleres existentes han disminuido a tan solo 3 o 4 en la ciudad, incluyendo Okeso おけ庄.
Okeso, se establecio hace aproximadamente 250 años cerca del termino de la era Edo (1603-1868), ubicada en el oeste del templo Kenninji, sobre la transitada calle de Yamato-oji donde pueden localizarse algunas casas tradicionales y tiendas abiertas al público en el que puedes encontrar artículos hechos a mano por artesanos japoneses. Dicho taller ha estado realizando la técnica artesanal japonés Oke y que actualmente fabrican bañeras hechas totalmente de madera, Okesho no solamente fabrica productos para templos, santuarios y exclusivos restaurantes de cocina ryotei de Kioto, también para uso domestico en casas que comprenden las necesidades de la vida diaria. Estos productos realizados en su totalidad de madera y fabricados a mano se utilizan mayormente en cocinas y baños estilo japonés. El Sr. Yamamoto, pertenece a la 8va. generación y es el miembro familiar que esta a cargo del taller, en donde se puede observar el trabajo arduo que realiza para mantener viva esta tradición milenaria a través del Oke.
Interview
During my visit to Okeso I had the opportunity to make an interview with Mr. Yamamoto.
Herminio Menchaca: How long have you been working with this craftsmanship?
Mr. Yamamoto: 9 years, I am the 8th generation successor from my family.
HM: How many Okes could you make in one day?
Mr. Yamamoto: 2 Okes per day, it does not matter the size of them, it requires the same time and work, I must prepare all the part involved including the bamboo joints I have to manufacture by myself.
HM: What is the most common use for Okes?
Mr. Yamamoto: Water containers, hot water for cooking and rice.
HM: Do you have someone else working here? I mean part of your staff.
Mr. Yamamoto: No, It is only me.
HM: Is there someone else from your family doing this kind of craftsmanship?
Mr. Yamamoto: No, I have only one brother but he is a computer engineer living in Tokyo, he was never interested on this but in my case I felt I have to follow this tradition, besides I like it.
HM: May ask you if you are interested in encouraging your family to keep doing this craftsmanship in the near future?
Mr. Yamamoto: It is difficult because I do not have kids, so probably this ancient tradition will come to the end.
HM: What kind of wood do you use and where does it come from?
Mr. Yamamoto: I use cypress and it is from the prefecture from Kyoto, I prefer to use local materials.
HM: I understand Oke is still used in Japan and I wonder about the demand for this craft. Could you tell me about the number of sales of your products? per week or moth of it is possible?
Mr. Yamamoto: Well it is ぎりぎり(at the last moment) I mean it depends on the situation, most of my clients are temples and ryokans (resorts) for example if they are in need to replace or repair the Okes I sold to them, I have the lot of work. It also depends on the coming projects.
HM: Do you think sales have changed during the time and why?
Mr. Yamamoto: That is for sure, there are more 100yenes (1 dollar) stores every time, sometimes it is hard to compete with that. For example, an Oke can cost around 10,000yenes (100 dollars) but it is all made of wood and it will endure longer rather than a plastic container from a 100yenes shop, we must consider also the durability of the products. I must say the new cheap products could be the problem.
HM: I agree Mr. Yamamoto, sometimes we ignore the durability of the products and we buy cheap products made of weak materials. Could you tell me how long an Oke could last?
Mr. Yamamoto: I can show you some of the old Okes that my grandfather made, these were made around 70 years ago and this one 100 years ago, Okes can be in a family for years.
HM: That is pretty impressive, do you use nails or any metal part to join all the wooden parts into one?
Mr. Yamamoto: No, I do not use metal nails, I just use a natural and special glue and as you can see these small parts made of bamboo with the purpose to connect each wooden part to the next one, I have to make them, that is why it takes some time to make 2 Okes pear day.
HM: Is this the same technique your last generations applied for Okes?
Mr. Yamamoto: Yes.
HM: Besides Okes I can notice you are developing new products such as bathtub all made of wood, could you talk about it?.
Mr. Yamamoto: Yes, indeed, I am doing a special project for an Onsen (hot springs), Onsen like to have wooden products, they agree that the feeling is different and even the small with the hot water in it is good for clients. I am also in a project for champagne bottle holder and containers, it is for an important company.
HM: It is great you are involved in some other different projects, that means you are open to collaborating with other companies that may be interested in Oke´s craftsmanship and apply it to another product development?
Mr. Yamamoto: Yes, I am open to doing so, it is interesting to see Oke´s craftsmanship applied on something else.
HM: Thank you so much for this interview. It helps me to have a deeper idea of this craftsmanship.
Fukui and its blue stone “Shakudani stone”
Mined long ago from Mt. Asuwa, shakudani stones were used in the construction of Fukui Castle’s stonewalls, roof tiles of homes, and myriad other applications. Fukui’s history is in many ways that of these very rocks.
Shakudani-rocks are representative of the prefecture’s geological resources, and their namederives from the location of their first discovery. Mined on Mt. Asuwa since the Kofun Period, they have seen used in stone Buddhist statues, lanterns, roof tiles, and more, a timeless treasure that has fueled traditional architecture here for centuries. When wet they take on a unique blue color, further enhancing their beauty. Fukui City’s Asahiyama Fudō-ji is home to the
Shakudani stone, having been extracted in Fukui Prefecture since Kofun Period around 1500 years ago, has the feature of turning into blue when it gets wet. Using Shakudani stone as the material, this high-quality product is carefully cut by craftsman one by one. The beauty and lightness of this material, which is also called "fairy bluestone"
Shakudani stone is part of a volcanic activity with about 17 millons years ago, volcanic stone and ashes were condensed and made this unique process of unification.
I consider Shakudani stone is a unique material which deliver an important history through its beautiful color.